I Think I Just Whimped Out

[zoechance]

Hi All, well after posting questions on DSB and reading all the thread and journal articles and ORDERING 200lbs of oolitic sand!! (for a 4 inch DSB in my 87g tank to be delivered next tuesday) I am having second thoughts.... :wacko: Think these are good reasons?
1) I have watched youtube videos on DSB that have died cause they were disturbed (big reason)
2) i want enough flow to have a mixed reef ie SPS someday when my tank is awesome/stable enough (not the biggest reason as I think this can be accomplished with fine DSB)
3) I go outta town a few days a month on business. WHile I have family members to do routine things I think I will have high anxiety that they will somehow disturb the DSB and cause catastrophe (Ie dum dee dum dee dum Ooops i just knocked over the rock/powerhead/etc...)
4) perhaps an earthquake (I live in Cali) will not be so bad as to spit my tank but maybe it will disturb the DSB enough to cause badness?

its kinda sad cause I think the worms and cool stuff in a DSB are fun, but in reality i am a noobie and maybe not ready for this. Now I see the DSB as a big living creature called Igor and when Igor is happy the tank is happy but when Igor is disturbed then evil happens.
Peeps with DSB make it sound like if you dont have 1 it is a mistake and you will forever be chasing your nitrates and have algae blooms etc... so I am torn guys!

 

[RalphsReef]

The only real possible issue I see is #3, but not for a family member stirring up the DSB. I have seen where family or friends unknowingly overfeed, or add too much alk/ca, etc. when dosing. I think you would be OK with the DSB. Just train your family members in advance of what do do and not to do, and see if there are local reefers you can have on standby to help in case of emergency while you are gone. However, if you feel like you will do nothing but worry about it for the various reasons you listed, it might be better to skip the DSB. I have two tanks. One has a somewhat deep sand bed, and the other is bare bottom. I really prefer the sand bed. It just looks better to me.

 

[zoechance]

Thank you for your reply. I believe I am just over thinking this! I think there is such a thing as too much research... LOL! I do cancer research and I tend to over evaluate things; guess it can spill into my hobby thats supposed to be funtime!! Cant wait to get my tank set up and then enjoy the wonderful beauty and challenges
CHeers!

 

[Jake1]

You can always do a DSB in your sump. Then when your out of town tell them not to touch that part of the sump.

 

[Pkunk35]

lol, Igor, i like that analogy!

just one thing to consider, will this system every move? If so, then don't do a DSB IMO. Also, I think its false to think that you'll forever chasing nitrates and blooms without a DSB.

Why not do a thinner layer of sand and a refugium? You'll still get a variety of critters and will get the natural look of sand. You could also mix the oolitic sand with other sized substrate to produce a larger variety of critters that can grow in the sand bed.

 

[RalphsReef]

I think you will be fine. The suggestion to put a DSB in a fuge is also a great tip. I should have mentioned that, as I have a good amount of sand in the fuge of my bare bottom.

I am sure I speak for everyone when I say that working hard at cancer research is a commendable effort. Hopefully one day that horrible disease can be defeated!

Thank you for your reply. I believe I am just over thinking this! I think there is such a thing as too much research... LOL! I do cancer research and I tend to over evaluate things; guess it can spill into my hobby thats supposed to be funtime!! Cant wait to get my tank set up and then enjoy the wonderful beauty and challenges
CHeers!

 

[zoechance]

Well thank you all for your support it is an honor to be part of this forum and partake of all of your collective knowledge. I will keep you updated on my tank. it will be delivered next tuesday night!! a LeeMar custom display 42 x 24x 20.

 

[Ike]

Sorry, I'm going to be a bit of a dampner on the DSB party...

Deep sandbeds, much like wet/dry filters, beckett skimmers, and 6500k bulbs are primarily a thing of the past in reefkeeping and aren't popular anymore for good reason. Perhaps you noticed how old most of those articles were... You will have most of the same fauna with short sand bed but without the negatives of a dsb. I see no real reason to run a Ddsb anymore with todays protein skimmers and easy ways to keep nitrates and nutrients under control. This is coming from someone that was one of the earliest adopters of DSB's and sung their praises for years. Also, reagrdless of how deep your sandbed is, I would strongly caution you against using all oolitic sand and steer you towards a mix of oolitic and a larger grade such as the "super reef grade" that carib sea sells.

 

[RalphsReef]

Sounds like a nice custom size tank. 20" will be a great shallow reef. The above poster makes a good point about a standard depth sand bed. If you are still up in the air about it, a "standard" depth sand bed might be just what the doctor ordered. Mine is just a couple inches deep. It does not get nasty deep down, yet still looks good with corals and live rock sitting atop.

 

[zoechance]

Thank you All! My tank was delivered! but just waiting to get it set up/plumbed and filled. I will go with a more SSB. 1 day soon I will post pics of my tank (next week!). Yes 20" deep cause I am the 1 who will have to clean it and take care of everything inside and that is a manageable depth to get to the bottom. LOL at 20" my fingers can just reach the very bottom....

 

[RalphsReef]

Sounds like an interesting build. Keep us posted!