syn74
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Posts: 72
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Post by syn74 on Aug 17, 2012 21:28:23 GMT -5
Just curious. What does everyone have? Any benefits for or against a sand bed?
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Post by Lance on Aug 17, 2012 21:46:40 GMT -5
Bare. I'm not sure what the benefits would be and I can see downsides...detritus build up and crap in your pumps.
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Post by ryansweatt2004 on Aug 18, 2012 8:25:30 GMT -5
Plain and simple, Pumps aren't cheap. You don't want to have sand or any particles near the pumps that could get sucked up and jam or damage them. On a side note though, My 40 breeder sump is divided in three sections. The 1st section houses my skimmer and overflow, the middle section is about an 18 inches by 18 inches with a 6 inch deep sand bed and 2 inches of water and macro algae on top for a high flow refugium. The last section is my pump section with adjustable water height. Having the added DSB in my sump gives me the option of having less rock in my display tank which I prefer anyway.
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syn74
New Member
Posts: 72
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Post by syn74 on Aug 18, 2012 9:36:16 GMT -5
I might have to rephrase the question. As far as sand in the sump. I was more wondering about sand or bare bottomed refugium. I have been reading about it and many people feel very strongly one way or the other. Just curious what you guys have. I do have a sand bed of about 4 inches in mine plus rock and cheato.
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Post by Lance on Aug 18, 2012 10:02:42 GMT -5
That is different...  I have about 4" of live sand in my display, no sand in my frag tank or sump. I do have small amount of Chaetomorpha in my frag tank. I don't have a refugium in my system. If I did I would probably go for deep sand bed...and make sure I had livestock to keep the sand moving. Keep in mind that it is not about having a sand bed or not - it's about the purpose of the refugium. Why do you have it in the first place?
- Nutrient Export via macro algae; don't need sand bed
- Dentrification - deep sand bed can provide for anaerobic denitrification; need sand bed
- Live food supply for fish corals - sand bed provides home, shelter, and food for a longer food chain
- Decorative - there are a lot of cool alga and animals that only do well in a Refugium-type environment. Probably want sand bed; may not need to be deep though.
I do not think this is something to lose sleep over. If you already have it, stick with it but primarily let the problem you are trying to solve drive the answer, not the strong opinions of others. |
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Post by ryansweatt2004 on Aug 18, 2012 11:12:52 GMT -5
Lance is right with everything he posted. If what you have is working then don't worry about changing it. I keep mine setup the way it is for a both for the added dentrification and nutrient export. Its a high flow setup though with the entire system water volume passes across it to keep sediments from building up. I also keep the DSB under the macro algae to help with pods and as a place to keep extra snails or cucumbers.
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syn74
New Member
Posts: 72
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Post by syn74 on Aug 18, 2012 21:22:23 GMT -5
Thank you for the input. No really concerned or anything. Just thinking about making some changes to my tank just to get everything to run a little smoother. Just was curious about what others had.
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I have about 4" of live sand in my display, no sand in my frag tank or sump. I do have small amount of Chaetomorpha in my frag tank. I don't have a refugium in my system. If I did I would probably go for deep sand bed...and make sure I had livestock to keep the sand moving.