Deep sand bed?

[Notsolostfish]

Iv been getting all mixed opinions all over the internet with really no clean answer. I added 2 20 pounds caribsea sand. Its 36 gallons. Do i remove some or leave it? I dont want to have issues later on.

 

[Lasse]

And what you expect here?

Let me guess - a lot of No-No - mostly by persons not running a DSB and a lot off yes/depend of the management answers from mostly people running a DSB.

If you chose this pathway (with deep sand) I would suggest to let the bed be as undisturbed as possible. If you clean - clean only the upper 0.5 cm - but to have animals managing the sand surface and keep your hand outside the aquarium is the best way IMO.

By the way - I run a type of DSB with plenum and reverse circulation - see here

Sincerely Lasse

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

I think it looks great, I keep 3-4 inches of sand in my tanks, never had an issue. 3 inches of sand is not really a deep sand bed, DSB IMO is more like 5-6+ inches

 

[wonroc]

How deep is the oceans sand.

 

[Notsolostfish]

How deep is the oceans sand.

No idea.

 

[Rmckoy]

I think it looks great, I keep 3-4 inches of sand in my tanks, never had an issue. 3 inches of sand is not really a deep sand bed, DSB IMO is more like 5-6+ inches

I remember reading years ago . It was defined as greater than 4”

 

[Rovert]

You can run a successful tank either way, but I'm of a mind that there are distinct chemical processes that happen with a DSB which are an advantage. However, for a DSB to be fully effective, it needs to be at least 6" deep. There's also the discoloration in the sand along the visible glass area.

For my new tank, I didn't go much deeper than 3"- 4" with the idea that I'd put a smaller tank in my sump with 6"- 8" of sand in it as a self-contained DSB and refugium.

In any case, you'll be fine either way.

 

[Rmckoy]

You can run a successful tank either way, but I'm of a mind that there are distinct chemical processes that happen with a DSB which are an advantage. However, for a DSB to be fully effective, it needs to be at least 6" deep. There's also the discoloration in the sand along the visible glass area.

For my new tank, I didn't go much deeper than 3"- 4" with the idea that I'd put a smaller tank in my sump with 6"- 8" of sand in it as a self-contained DSB and refugium.

In any case, you'll be fine either way.

How long does a dsb take to mature and process nitrate to nitrogen gas ?
keeping in mind livestock that disturbs the sand too much or too deep will later cause issues ?

 

[Rovert]

How long does a dsb take to mature and process nitrate to nitrogen gas ?
keeping in mind livestock that disturbs the sand too much or too deep will later cause issues ?

I want to say six months, but that would be more of a Randy Holmes-Farley or Ron Shimek question. As to the livestock, I recently posted some thoughts on that very issue, but can't seem to find the post. The upshot was that any given burrowing critter is going to only disturb the smallest fraction of the total sand bed area that it wouldn't be measurable because the surrounding area would buffer, unlike a plenum where, if there were a breach from a puncture, water exchange could toxify the entire tank.

As always, YMMV.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Personally, I don’t think a deep sand bed is a good idea in a display. There is too much disruption from flow and critters. My last system employed a deep sand bed in a bucket. That thing worked amazing and allowed me to still vacuum the sand regularly. Maybe if I had vacuumed more often the system would have not crashed but oh well.

 

[killer2001]

I'd probably only run a DSB if I had a tall aquarium.... Like 4 ft+ in height.

 

[Rmckoy]

Personally, I don’t think a deep sand bed is a good idea in a display. There is too much disruption from flow and critters. My last system employed a deep sand bed in a bucket. That thing worked amazing and allowed me to still vacuum the sand regularly. Maybe if I had vacuumed more often the system would have not crashed but oh well.

I’ve done the same idea but in the middle section of a sump .
Nothing to disturb it but again… it takes forever to become beneficial and process nitrates to nitrogen .

that being said . Years ago every tank was setup with deep sand beds as that was the way .
there were apparently critters and a process to maintain it without disturbing the nasty below the surface .

 

[davidcalgary29]

I’ve done the same idea but in the middle section of a sump .
Nothing to disturb it but again… it takes forever to become beneficial and process nitrates to nitrogen .

that being said . Years ago every tank was setup with deep sand beds as that was the way .
there were apparently critters and a process to maintain it without disturbing the nasty below the surface .

I heard a very interesting segment on CBC's "Quirks and Quarks" last week in which researchers found that seagrasses created and stored huge amounts of sucrose in their roots. They also produced large amounts of phenols which had the effect of deterring any scavengers from consuming the sucrose. I'd love to try a seagrass DSB in a tank...if I could find any seagrasses to buy.

 

[Rmckoy]

I heard a very interesting segment on CBC's "Quirks and Quarks" last week in which researchers found that seagrasses created and stored huge amounts of sucrose in their roots. They also produced large amounts of phenols which had the effect of deterring any scavengers from consuming the sucrose. I'd love to try a seagrass DSB in a tank...if I could find any seagrasses to buy.

I’m sure it will be easy to find in Canada.
I’ve been looking for kelp …
I think it would grow too fast for a typical system but I read it’s endangered somehow . I’ve done the mangroves in sump for years .
Again they grow too tall and have to be removed .