Sand bed thoughts

[Aquattro]

I still think the contribution of a sand bed, as far as plankton goes, is a good thing. I'm not sure how to replace that without a remote DSB. I also don't know that a DSB acts as a sink.....does it? Got proof? Does it reach critical mass? These questions are way over my head, so acting as a sheep is the safest way to go. Certainly, given the time, money and space, it would be great to experiment. But since I have 1 tank that must work, I must follow what works for others. Of course, when all others fail, I fail too, but pioneering isn't my thing.
So, is a DSB bad, good, or indifferent? Really, we don't know.