Pros are good nitrate reduction, huge area for bacteria. Easy to remove if needed in the sump.
Cant think of a con.
Cant think of a con.
having a deep sandbed anywhere other than the display is the pro
its detritus prefiltered ideally when setup outside of the dt, then they can actually have a chance of working to reduce nitrate when its not impacted by whole waste pellets all day long. it must be said that getting a sandbed to perform measurable nitrate reduction varies, even if someone sets up ten tanks in the same house same manner, several will not reduce it. Its an ideal, not a guarantee. Keeping the major detritus removed from the system and not sinked up in the bed gives the best chance of true n2 degassing, the ideal reason to keep a dsb. planting areas for roots and holdfasts are nice, extra bacterial support which winds up as suspended floc bits are part of the food chain etc
its detritus prefiltered ideally when setup outside of the dt, then they can actually have a chance of working to reduce nitrate when its not impacted by whole waste pellets all day long. it must be said that getting a sandbed to perform measurable nitrate reduction varies, even if someone sets up ten tanks in the same house same manner, several will not reduce it. Its an ideal, not a guarantee. Keeping the major detritus removed from the system and not sinked up in the bed gives the best chance of true n2 degassing, the ideal reason to keep a dsb. planting areas for roots and holdfasts are nice, extra bacterial support which winds up as suspended floc bits are part of the food chain etc
