Do I need sand to have a live reef?

[kiwi]

Yeah this may seem like a stupid question but when I first setup my tank, I was told my gravel vacuum was going to suck up all the sand when I do water changes...so I have crushed coral as a substrate. Is that okay considering I want to start a reef soon?

 

[Assyrianfishguy]

no not really. sand is another form of fileration for your tank. also its good to have in you plan on keeping wrasse. ppl who dont like sand in the dt they put it in their sump. but you should have some sand either way, just helps the tank stay clean.

 

[kiwi]

But wouldn't the gravel vacuum suck it up when I do water changes?

 

[DSP]

If you use the big cup/tube on the end of the gravel vacuum it won't suck up very much sand at all, The majority of us do it, Crushed coral can be used but it has to be kept clean otherwise it will Trap a bunch of detritus, so yes crushed coral can be used but sand is better and easier to clean imo.

 

[Reefing Madness]

Most don't vacuum their sandy bottoms, if you have enough flow in the tank, nothing collects on it.
You do not need a substrate in a reef tank.
Google Bare Bottom Tanks.

 

[PatW]

Many people prefer not to deal with having sand and just use live rock on a bare bottom. It works fine. Be warned that some fish require a sand bottom.

 

[FLipp]

you can run a bare bottom. WWC tanks are all like that.

 

[Intricateart]

Live sand best left undisturbed.Vacuuming sand is an old technique for freshwater tanks. The live sand bed is its own "entity". It has many layers that all biologically filter different types of bacteria. Most people including myself use clean up crews and sand sifting animals to keep it clean. The longer it stays undisturbed in fairly high current the better it will perform.A skimmer is the only filter equipment on our 205gal system and I don't even check nitrates anymore. I think a lot of animals prefer it as well for food.

 

[kiwi]

Is it okay to have crushed coral or should I switch to sand when I upgrade my 10gal to a 75gal. I know this sounds dumb but I like the look of a substrate so I probably wouldn't want bare bottom.

 

[backpack]

If it's only an inch or so it won't matter. You can always dump sand on top of it for a deep sand bed.