Shallow Sandbed or No Sandbed

[Beverly]

Richer,

You are welcome to some of the sandbed. May even need some help with moving tanks, etc. We live downtown, visitor parking at rear of building. PM me with your phone number and I'll let you know when it's going to be happening.

Will,

I think some sand makes the tank look nicer too. Had an indoor goldfish pond a few years back in our old house. Started out with substrate, but couldn't clean it well enough during weekly water changes. People on the GF list i was on were all raving about their bare bottom tanks, but I couldn't see myself doing that. Long story short, I ended up with a BB pond with several polished rocks from the craft store. Got to like the look of it eventually and was a snap to clean.

Your statement that the sandbed helps with Ca and buffering is a good one. However, I'm guessing that over time, this diminishes and the aragonite must be replaced.

Dave,

Would love to see some pics of your BB tanks. Because I'll have no sumps/refugs, it would be easy to siphon out detritus during the weekly water change. Given enough time and Ca, coraline will grow all over the bottom.

M. Reefer,

Looks are definitely part of the appeal of a reef tank. Appreciate your comments.


Thanks for the comments so far. Any other comments, pics - YES- PICS, experiences either pro or con?