So I am weighing out the pros and cons of adding sand to my 125g build. Im at that point to where its time to decide. I like the natural rock and sand look, however find the rock only look to be very unique. Anyone have comments about this? How about stories? Thanks!!
Sand With Live Rock? or.. Live Rock Only Tank??
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touchingstoves
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PROs with LR only--
Cleaner look, easier cleaning so in turn better Water quality... .....cleaner look.
Pros with having sand:
No pH swings, no chasing alkalinity, extra (not a lot) of bio filtration, if you have sand sifters .. Well you can have sand sifters. Looks more natural. And did I mention a more stable pH (depending how much sand you use)
I went from with sand to BB. It's been a month and I've had horrible stability problems with pH, alkalinity, etc. I used to have a 1.5" sand bed.. I think I'm gonna go back to it.
Plus now that I see detritus build up on the floor of my tanks. Eww.
Do you have your build up on here?
Cleaner look, easier cleaning so in turn better Water quality... .....cleaner look.
Pros with having sand:
No pH swings, no chasing alkalinity, extra (not a lot) of bio filtration, if you have sand sifters .. Well you can have sand sifters. Looks more natural. And did I mention a more stable pH (depending how much sand you use)
I went from with sand to BB. It's been a month and I've had horrible stability problems with pH, alkalinity, etc. I used to have a 1.5" sand bed.. I think I'm gonna go back to it.
Plus now that I see detritus build up on the floor of my tanks. Eww.
Do you have your build up on here?
It will also affect what kinda stuff you can keep. Certain wrasses just need 2-3 inches to feel comfortable, in case they wanna hide when scared.
Also, live sand can add a little bit to your biofiltration capacity, though a lot of people think it's just a ripoff. A calcium based substrate is really nice though, buffers ph, alkalinity, calcium
Also, live sand can add a little bit to your biofiltration capacity, though a lot of people think it's just a ripoff. A calcium based substrate is really nice though, buffers ph, alkalinity, calcium
