40g and i want to crank up my already modded 6025. For bacterial purposes should i move the sandbed to the sump or just keep it?
BB or Sandbed?
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VanGogh121
Melba Toast
Bare Bottom, I personally would not move your current bed (stir tooo much up). I your set on having a remote DSB, start with all new sand.
revhtree
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My Tank Thread
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If it's going to be for frags I would go BB. If it's for looks go with sand. 
I think it's totally preference. i have done both and either way can produce a successful tank. It just depends on the approach you want to take. if you a die-hard fan of sand, stay away from bb, you'll hate them. if you don't care for it then give it a try you can always add sand later if you don't like the look. When I switched, I removed all of my sand and put the rock and corals back all in one day.
Also if you do go BB, you need to be diligent in removing any detritus, have a powerful skimmer, and make sure your flow pattern keeps detritus in suspension so it can be removed via your overflow and skimmed out.
mofrags
stupid and happy
that is what I always suffered with I would get a few chunky pieces of detritus that would spin around and not get lifted up to the overflow. put sand back in and like it better, plus unless your putting starboard in it looks funny on a show tank to see the glass bottom. you could always dose carbon sources for the bacteria
dscott59
New Member
Tried BB in a 125 and hated it... Switched back to sand and will never go BB again... Had lots of problems with nitrates, algea, etc.... and the bottom of the tank always looked dirty no matter how many water changes or cleanings I did... IMO....
Dale
Dale
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OP
I've decided to go with sand...its always worked for me and plus i don't see an ocean without a sandbed, right?
Either way works. If you go sandbed. Try keeping flow over the hole bed by raising the rock off the sand with acrylic rods. By doing this detritus will not settle on the sandbed or between the rocks and this is what can possibly cause sand bed issue eventually. I do the same thing when I do bare bottom too.. Floating reef.
Or you can have the best of both worlds and do a remote sand bed.
Dave
Or you can have the best of both worlds and do a remote sand bed.
Dave
demonsperm
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The SB is one of your best bio filters converting nitrate and ammonia into harmless nitrogen. But if its not maintaned will only create nitrate from poor flow or improper CUC or overstocking or feeding habits. Going bare bottom in a FOWLR tank is much easier if you have no reef type fish.
Sounds like u need more flow and a bigger skimmer.
Paintguru
In need of tank
I'm doing BB now but I plan to go to a very shallow sand bed. It has worked ok for me, but I have a feeling my skimmer isn't of the gigantic size that I need to get everything out and I have had some form of algae problem for quite some time now. A DSB failed me in the past, so I plan to just do a little sand and focus on getting my chaeto to grow.
