Considering adding sand to my bare bottom tank?

[Pete Hammersley]

When I was planning my reef tank, I envisaged an immaculately clean glass bottom. I used cry reefsaver rock in the aquascape 4 months ago, so I expected a small amount of dust to settle on the bottom, but 4 months in I am constantly hoovering our sand, dust and general “crap” off the bottom of the tank. Perhaps the slow breakdown the surface of these rocks leading to the dust will slow down as the tank matures? I don’t know.
I like a clean glass bottom, and I like sand, but I don’t like this smear of sediment on the bottom. It feels half in half out.
I have used the jerboa gyre style wave makers, so the bottom of the tank is relatively low flow compared to the.
has anybody gone back on their decision of bare bottom? And if so how did you add it with minimal disruption to the tank?

 

[Cory]

Got a pic of the dust? You can use a mr clean magic eraser on the bottom. It works super good. Just make sure its labeled original.

I have bb too and i love the look of sand when its clean and new, but i cannot add it because of how much ive seen it hold before. Its nasty. Eventually it will get covered in corraline algse and you wont care.

 

[Viking_Reefing]

The key will be to keep the gunk in suspension. why keep a bare bottom if you’re not blasting the tank with flow?

I would have one or two of the gyres blowing across the bottom, that way stuff won’t be able to settle.

 

[madreefer11]

Why? You think dust will be a problem. Wait until your put sand in .

 

[Waters]

When I was planning my reef tank, I envisaged an immaculately clean glass bottom. I used cry reefsaver rock in the aquascape 4 months ago, so I expected a small amount of dust to settle on the bottom, but 4 months in I am constantly hoovering our sand, dust and general “crap” off the bottom of the tank. Perhaps the slow breakdown the surface of these rocks leading to the dust will slow down as the tank matures? I don’t know.
I like a clean glass bottom, and I like sand, but I don’t like this smear of sediment on the bottom. It feels half in half out.
I have used the jerboa gyre style wave makers, so the bottom of the tank is relatively low flow compared to the.
has anybody gone back on their decision of bare bottom? And if so how did you add it with minimal disruption to the tank?

I went back to sand for the exact same reason as you....bottom always looked dirty and it drove me crazy. I tried letting coralline cover the entire bottom but didn't like that look either. Unfortunately I will not be much help though....I ended up restarting my entire reef (for other reasons) and just added the sand back in at that time.

 

[Cory]

Ive been thinking of adding sand too and just gravel vaccume it when needed. But i think im trying to start a car without an engine.

 

[Pete Hammersley]

Got a pic of the dust? You can use a mr clean magic eraser on the bottom. It works super good. Just make sure its labeled original.

I have bb too and i love the look of sand when its clean and new, but i cannot add it because of how much ive seen it hold before. Its nasty. Eventually it will get covered in corraline algse and you wont care.

This is 48 hrs after I got a pump and 3/4” hole to fac the whole bottom of the tank.

 

[Pete Hammersley]

Ive been thinking of adding sand too and just gravel vaccume it when needed. But i think im trying to start a car without an engine.

mid rather vacuum once a week than spend 7 days looking at detritus sitting on glass.

 

[Pete Hammersley]

I went back to sand for the exact same reason as you....bottom always looked dirty and it drove me crazy. I tried letting coralline cover the entire bottom but didn't like that look either. Unfortunately I will not be much help though....I ended up restarting my entire reef (for other reasons) and just added the sand back in at that time.

The coraline is a journey that I don’t think I have the patience to wait for. I can wait for it on my rock, but the not the base. I can’t look at the ugly glass with green film over it, sand deposits and topped off with uneaten food and poo.

 

[Dave Cureton]

Do you have corals in tank or planning to add them? Maybe a thin sand layer if it's fish only, softies, LPS? If you're going full blown SPS I think you're going to regret adding sand. You will need a ton of flow and sand will blow all over the place.

 

[Pete Hammersley]

Do you have corals in tank or planning to add them? Maybe a thin sand layer if it's fish only, softies, LPS? If you're going full blown SPS I think you're going to regret adding sand. You will need a ton of flow and sand will blow all over the place.

Just a few LPS corals at the moment, tester corals to make sure the water is hospitable for the SPS I have planned.
good thought, considering I need to turn my pumps up for when I add the sps.

 

[Pete Hammersley]

Why? You think dust will be a problem. Wait until your put sand in .

I just think the whole thing covered in sand might look better that lots of dust collected at the bottom. So it would be intentionally covered rather than something that was meant to be clean but not.

 

[Pete Hammersley]

The key will be to keep the gunk in suspension. why keep a bare bottom if you’re not blasting the tank with flow?

I would have one or two of the gyres blowing across the bottom, that way stuff won’t be able to settle.

This is an interesting thought. They are meant to work under the surface of the water, down and back round. I have one each side of the tank meaning they intersect in the middle. If I put one in top left corner as normal, I could have another upside down in the bottom right to make that 6ft gyre? This would keep the bottom suspended.

 

[Hydrored]

What size is the tank? Seems like you just need more power heads

 

[Pete Hammersley]

What size is the tank? Seems like you just need more power heads

It’s 6 ft, Red Sea reefer 750. I’ve got both my Wave makers on just 10%, and more and the eiphylia look like they are going to get ripped off the rock.

 

[Hydrored]

I run 4 MP40's in a 4ft 120 all alternating at 40-80% throughout the day. I have torches, hammers, frog spawn, and SPS. May have to move the pumps around. I do not have my pumps matching each other on the mounting. I find placement is more important than just looks. Seems like something is off to me

 

[Pete Hammersley]

From the photo you can see one top left, one top right. I bought this design as it was to give me a whole tank solution with minimal equipment and chords. You think more pumps, or turn these up?

 

[Hydrored]

I'm not familiar with those pumps, when I ran gyres I would anti sync them so one would push then off while the other pushes. I would turn them up, I had to increase my flow a little at a time so all of the coral got use to it, up the percentages over a couple weeks.

Beautiful tank BTW

 

[Pete Hammersley]

I'm not familiar with those pumps, when I ran gyres I would anti sync them so one would push then off while the other pushes. I would turn them up, I had to increase my flow a little at a time so all of the coral got use to it, up the percentages over a couple weeks.

Beautiful tank BTW

Thank you. .
Just a bit crappy on the bottom! .
ive just putboth pumps up to 30%, I’ll do it gradually to about 60% over the next few weeks to see if that helpsclean the bottom out.