DSB, SSB or BB Experiences

[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.

[Skimmerking]

Well I have have the pleasure of having DSB and the BB with the sand bed my tank is looking dirty yes the nitrates were ZERO, but i was never happy always buying snails to clean cukes and conches for the bed.

Now since I converted my Fowlr inthe the reef tank. I love the BB look ya it takes a while to get the coraline to come up, but be careful of what you wish for. Once it starts it's on it's way. With that being said my tank is always more cleaner looking. Sure i have to suck out the crap in the corners where it pools. But hey its easier then moving all the rocks around and then having a mini sand storm in the tank and then lettting it settle just to turn on the Powerheads to have it blown all over the rocks.

bottom line if you need to export the nitrates get clams or mangorves or Refuguims. IMHO i love the BB look. and the fishes love it too.

[marie]

I decided to go with a shallow sand bed years ago because I really didn't like the look of 6" of sand pressing on the glass.

I don't like my bottom being bare either and I've always been fascinated by the little critters in the tank (pods, worms and such) so I've always had some sand in my tanks and I've never regreted it

[mark]

Had a 75g FOWLR for 3+ years with a DSB and basically was trouble free. I did have little blooms of cyno but got that sorted out with flow and I believe using ro/di. Nitrates always zero and liked the look even the DSB from the side.

When I set up the new tank wanted sand again but wasn't prepared to fork over the cash for a DSB in 145g, worried about sandstorms with about 4600gph plus the wife wanted to try the look of BB (probably more the deciding factor). Thought okay, for nitrate control would either go DSB in the sump or run a remote in a separte vessel if they start to rise but still zero after being up 6+ months so never did.

I've been considering a SSB with large grains. My tank has coralline over most of the bottom plate but still want a sand bed specially when I see someone elses tank with sand. Probably a little less envious each time though so why I haven't done SSB yet.

Alway wondered about how coralline would look on a faux sand bed as nothing would stop it from growing.

[StirCrazy]

Originally Posted by fresh

Many people have had successful DSB. Also many are still using crushed coral successfully.

Define successfully.

I do not know of any DSB that I would concider successful.

Personaly Ihave had all 3, my DSB lasted 2 years, in the last 4 months I was getting nussance algae I couldn't explain or get rid of. SO I went to a ssb. It was the same deal, maybe as I used the sand from the dsb to do it, but I had lots of bugs and such to keep both beds stirred. Now I am at the BB stage, I love it easy to keep clean, the rock still is more than enuf to keep my nitrates at 0. don't have to worry about a built up of nutrents in the sand bed any more.

A few thinga about DSB, th emain supporter of them, the good Dr Ron. Two years after he said they were the best thing in this hobby sence sliced bread, changed his mind. The reasoning he used was that in the hobby we can only hope to keep 10% of the different types and number of "Bugs" alive to make a DSB work, then about 1 year laiter he started on the fact that a DSB can be a nutrent/heavy metal sink if not run proper, which the previous year he said was impossable for us to run one properly.

so I decided to go BB after trying DSB and SSB and I think BB is where I will stay as I haven't found a down side yet. The bottom covers over fast with calcium deposits, then turns to coraline and you can put corals on it to cover it also like Brad has.

Steve

[Reefer Rob]

For those who havn't read these yet, I thought I'd post links to articles on a couple of sand bed experiments done by Rob Toonen and Christopher Wee
An Experimental Comparison of Sandbed and Plenum-Based Systems. Part 1: Controlled lab dosing experiments
An Experimental Comparison of Sandbed and Plenum-Based Systems: Part 2: Live Animal Experiments
It's interesing that the sandbeds processed nitrates equally regardless of their depth (no anaerobic zone), and particlle size.
Bare bottom tanks were not included in the experiments, but I don't think we need to guess how much nutrient a bare tank would process

[littlesilvermax]

0 nitrates for me in my BB!

[Skimmerking]

Thanks to Ozone and clams eh Ben

[littlesilvermax]

Originally Posted by asmodeus

Thanks to Ozone and clams eh Ben

Never had nitrates before ozone or before my clams, but they do help!

[Psyire]

Do you guys have anything on the bottom of your BB tanks? or just the glass?