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#1
12-28-2007, 04:50 AM
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180 starfire front, LPS, millipora Doesn't matter how much you have been reading until you take the plunge. You don't know as much as you think. 
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#2
12-28-2007, 05:08 AM
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I have a relatively low fishload for a 150 gallon system: 6" regal tang, 3" purple tang, 6-line wrasse, royal gramma, diamond goby and a couple oc. clowns. I feed once a day, skim wet and have a ball of chaeto in the sump on a reverse light cycle. I run purigen but have been too lazy yet to crack open the bucket of GFO that I just ordered. I also have some xenia in the sump which is the only unorthodox method of nutrient removal that I'm doing.
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#3
12-28-2007, 05:39 AM
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reply
A shallow sand bed of 1-1.5 inches is all I've ever had until i went bare bottom. Never had any issues with high nitrates, in fact I think mine are worse now without a sand bed. I can't wait until I set up the new tank and go back to a sand bed.
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THE BARQUARIUM: 55 gallon cube - 50 lbs LR - ASM G3 skimmer - 30 Gallon sump - 22 Gallon refugium / frag tank - 4x 24 watt HO T5's - Mag 9.5 return - Pin Point PH monitor - 400 watt XM 20K MH in Lumenarc reflector - Dual stage GFO/NO3 media reactor - 6 stage RODI auto top up -Wavemaster Pro running 3 Koralia 2's. Fully stocked with fish, corals and usually some fine scotch http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=55041
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#4
12-28-2007, 06:54 AM
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Well I hate my sand, so put me down for BB.
I would switch it in a heartbeat if it wasn't so hard to do. The key is bioload and balancing your waste management. High bioload + a Sandbed is a recipe for disaster in the future. Unless of course you are the worlds best water changer. A sandbed will mask your high bioload problem until it no longer can, and then you're in for some major problems. Having no sand will not mask this problem and you'll be forced to deal with it before you have major long lasting problems. Flow is the other area of concern, 'high' flow rates are not possible using sand as it won't stay put. Flow is the #1 overlooked important thing in this hobby, water movement makes everything possible. Stagnant tanks aren't good for much..
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#5
12-28-2007, 07:08 AM
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*casts his lot with the pro-BB crew*
__________________
~Drew 10G Nano * 10G Sump * Deltec MCE 600 Skimmer * JBL Viper 150w MH * Zeovit * Vortech MP40W Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. ~S. Ertz 
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#6
12-28-2007, 09:21 AM
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No3 will accumulate in a long run even with water changes. Flow is very important. BB here also. .
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#7
12-28-2007, 02:47 PM
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Sand is a real PTA with the 50X flow in my tank. I only have 1/2" to 1" for looks, and I'd ditch it in a heartbeat if I didn't like the look of it so much.
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#8
12-28-2007, 02:58 PM
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Running my 75 with a full load of SPS, 5 fish, 70# of rock and no sand, I had 0 NO3 every time I measured. No gadgets, no NO3 removal stuff. 10g water change every two weeks, Ca reactor for Ca/alk and nothing else. No Mg, no supplements, etc. My tank did just fine and grew faster than I wanted it to. The BB allowed much greater flow than sand would have allowed, which results in thicker SPS growth. After 6 months the bottom was covered in coraline and such anyway, so it looked ok.
That being said, I miss the times sitting in front of the tank at 3am with a flashlight watching all the cool critters from the sand bed. My new tank will have some sand for decorative purposes as well as giving me back some of those critters. I do not consider sand neccesary for NO3 removal, but that's just my experience. I would never use a DSB again, as I feel this is just a time bomb waiting to kill the tank. Might be 4 or 5 years down the road, but it will go boom. Again, YMMV
__________________
Brad
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Hybrid Mode
