BB is it really good.

[danny zubot]

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.

[Psyire]

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..

[Der_Iron_Chef]

*casts his lot with the pro-BB crew*

[andresont]

Originally Posted by Psyire

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..

All above is very well said.
No3 will accumulate in a long run even with water changes.
Flow is very important.

BB here also.
.

[Reefer Rob]

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.

[Aquattro]

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

[Skimmerking]

Well with my tank its a 120 gal. with a75 gal sump, ATI BM 250, ozone 20mg, 28 gal with 4" Sand bed not lit.
I have a 5" Foxface
4" kole
4" purple tang
2 clowns
4 Chromis
Royal gramma
Algae blenny
3" Lammerick angel
2 Blue linkia's
Orange brittle star
Leopard Brittle star
2 peppemints shrimp
1 cleaner shrimp
assorted snails

I wonder if that is alot i feed 3 times aday with small feeds

[Aquattro]

Originally Posted by asmodeus

I wonder if that is alot i feed 3 times aday with small feeds

That is a heavy bio-load, and with 3 feedings a day, ya, you might get a nitrate problem.

I had 2 tangs that grazed on tank stuff, a pair of clowns and a chromis. I feed once per day with mysis and added about a 2" x 4" strip of nori for the tangs.
Honestly, some of the nicest tanks I've seen used only a skimmer and reactor, good lighting, minimal feedings and were with or without sand. Sand never appeared to be the deciding factor in a nice tank, rather stability, frequent water changes and minimizing nutrient input.