Bare bottom VS sand beds

[basile]

Their's all king of reason to do both these options. And their's reason to change back depending on what you've started with.

So tell us your reasons and what advantages you find in it.

 

[WhiskyTango]

I went BB two weeks ago. It feels really satisfying to quickly siphon out turds and detritus every few days knowing its not breaking down in a sand bed anymore.

 

[Ashish Patel]

In my new setup i've considered BB but because of the minimal aquascape I feel I need at least .5" for biological filter as well aesthetic. I'll replace about 30% of sand per year to avoid any detritus buildup - IMO if my nitrates and phosphates are in check with sand there is no reason to go BB. If algae becomes a problem and sand becomes difficult to clean i'll remove it without question

 

[markster33139]

I did both the sand is only under the rockwork

 

[brandon429]

my six inch deep bed is kept so clean it stores nothing and functions as if no sb was in the tank. so, I vote mega clean dsb. storing detritus is bad idea imo, good thing pico reefs can be ripped apart and put back together in 12 mins.

 

[TbyZ]

Asthetically speaking, in an aquarium where rock is minimal & a large proportion of the tank bottom is visible, some sort of sandbed would be necessary as it would be very much part of the aquascape & look odd if uncovered.

Personally, I'd rather cover the bottom with rock & coral than sand.

Filtration wise; if not sure about having a sandbed in the display a remote bed could be the answer.

I have a bare bottom now. I have some course coral sand in my sump, but its only an inch deep. I have it to trap detritus & provide an area for bacteria & critters to roam free.

 

[Swoody]

I keep a shallow bed mainly for aesthetic reasons.... I regularly change the directions and strength of my circulation pumps to not allow detritus to settle ....

 

[Zero Nitrates]

Running two bare bottom tanks right now. Had sand in the past.
The sand looks dramatically better, but it is insanely easier to clean a bare bottom.
Just a trade off of what you want.

 

[Chris Adams]

I like my sand in my softy tank and bb in my mainly sps

 

[enthejungle]

I currently have about an inch of Fiji pink. It's slowly being removed with water changes and I'll eventually be bare bottom.

I do think it looks a bit better than bare bottom to begin with, but don't see a huge benefit as far as biological filtration goes. If got plently of live rock that suffices for my filtration as well as a block of marine pure in my sump. Once the sand gets a bit older, IMO, is not as nice as day one and not worth the hastle of keeping it clean.

I'd rather use that real estate for more coral or frags. Plus, in the time it took for my sand to go from a 10 aesthetically to a 7 where it's now, I could of had the bottom covered in coralline.

 

[Hyde2406]

One inch and but only because I have watchman goby and pistol shrimp, and pink spot goby and the clowns who love to throw sand everywhere, and tube anemone etc..... sifters