DSB, SSB or BB Experiences

[dirtyreefer]

I did the faux sandbed like Chin mentioned on my new tank. I used Envirotex Lite (you can do a search for it, then check out the Canadian retailers that carry it) and glued the sand to starboard so that it could be removed if I didn't like it.

What I found when setting up my new tank is that I got a bit of an algae bloom (until the skimmer kicks in and skims out all the other crap in your tank). Since the sand is hard, the algae and coraline and everything else sticks to it so it's a b#*ch cleaning it. I found that it looked dirty all the time (with the stained green, brown and coraline algae colors), even after I scrubbed it with a course brush. Let's just say now I've buried it with a SSB and won't go back.

Basically I've tried barebottom (on my old tank, hated the look of it), faux sandbed (didn't like the dirty look), and SSB. I've never done DSB nor will I ever try it. I think I'll always be a SSB lover since every water change I siphon out as much sand as I can and replace it with new (or washed) sand to keep it clean. Never had any problems this way, but YMMV.

Maintenance wise, BB or faux sandbed is the easiest to keep clean. I just can't stand the look of BB IME. Some people can make theirs look good, but I can't. I am more for looks so I'll spend a bit of extra time replacing and siphoning sand to make my tank look as natural as possible.

[Reefer Rob]

LOL I was thinking about a SSB for esthetic reasons, now after the zoo bottom idea I'm thinking about BB for esthetic reasons. How about a fiberglass reinforced agracrete bottom moulded in a few pieces. I could be textured to look like rock (not sand), and sloped from say 3" in the back to near 0 in the front. I should still get the nutrient processing abilities of a sandbed, and the flow of a BB tank. The weight of the agracrete should be able to be included in the total weight of my live rock, thus reducing the cost of set up. My rock structures could also be attached with rods to the base for stability.

[ron101]

I had a DSB for several years and it became a big algae factory. The kind that carpets everything in the tank. Would never do one again. The theory of restocking sandbed fauna doesn't make sense to me. If they are constantly dying off - where are the nutrients going?

I also think that BB is the best for maintenance but I prefer the looks of some sand. I went with a thin layer of crushed coral that I vacuum with a syphon during water changes.

[albert_dao]

Zeovit Is The Future! Lol!

[fresh]

You guys keep forgetting one thing, "NO 2 TANKS ARE ALIKE"!!!

What works for one person, might not work for others, and what doesn't work for you, might be something that others swear by.

A couple of years ago, DSP was the big thing. A couple of years before that, crushed coral was the big thing. Today, BB is the big thing. And in a couple years from now, something else will be the big thing, and people will be telling you to throw away the idea of a BB because of so and so...

This is a cycle that never stops. It is partly a money scam, and partly proven facts and theories.

You have to decide for yourself. What looks you would like to go with, and then follow a type of maintenance that satisfies that look!!!

Many people have had successful DSB. Also many are still using crushed coral successfully. And today, I see a lot of BB tanks. They all look different, and they all have their pros and cons.

Just my 2cents!!!

[Reefer Rob]

Fresh, this is just the kinds of things I'm trying to get work through so I can make MY desision. I would like to hear from people who have had a DSB long term. My DSB has been running for 2 years, but I wouldn't consider that long term.

Zeovit?! Albert, SIT... STAY... NO BARK... good boy

[albert_dao]

Heh, honestly though, I LOVE Zeovit. It's a proven system (Europe) and you could run a fully stocked tank with almost no other forms of substrate and still be stable and algae free.

Eg. At work, our 200 gallon system has no substrates other than the Zeolites and maybe 75 lbs of live rock. It's fully stocked with corals, clams, has no detectable ammonia, nitrite, nitrate or phosphate. Another tank, the 150 gallon system has minimal rock, no sand and is fully loaded with coral and stocked with a million fish, all of which are fat. Again, this tank looks pristine!

[Chin_Lee]

Originally Posted by fresh

This is a cycle that never stops. It is partly a money scam, and partly proven facts and theories.

Fresh
I do agree with you on the most part. However I doubt that BB is a money scam since you're not buying anything for BB.
Also the DSB hype for the most part was timing of the eventual outcome. In theory as written by that good doctor, it sounded like a perfect solution. Fish poops and extra foods are eaten by critters in your "live" sandbed - what a wonderful theory but it took a few years for people to realize that they need the right critters in the right proportion to make it work correctly. Since then, the doctor has since changed his view somewhat to state that. How is an average aquarist able to stock 5-10 fish in his/her 100 gallon aquarium and expect that the 8 square feet of sand to house enough critters to eat all that bioload's waste? Compare this sand to bioload ratio in our aquariums to that of the ocean and one will realize that our aquarium's sandbeds would need to be extraordinary to accomplish that feat.
I'm sure another hype will come up sooner or later but regardless, a DSB is like playing russian roulette and the number of bullets in the revolver will depend on your fitration system, bioload, feeding frequency, and your dedication to your maintenance routine.
For the time being, go BB go.

[fresh]

you lazy bum lol

[Doug]

Originally Posted by Chin_Lee

Fresh
I do agree with you on the most part. However I doubt that BB is a money scam since you're not buying anything for BB.

I was going to say the same. If anything the dsb push would be, with all the different sands to by and all the creatures needed to maintain it. But then our hobby as a whole seems to be that way sometimes.