Setting a long live aquarium.

[rayn]

With threads I have been reading lately on mini cycles, DSB, under gravel filters and the like, I wonder what might be considered the best way to set a long lived tank up? What would be utilized to maintain this tank for longevity? I'm not talking controllers or lighting, but making it easier to simulation life.

Is a remote DSB a smart idea? Is a under gravel the way to go if a shallow bed is used in the tank? Could one make a combination of the two? Oversized skimmer, pellot reactor, or just carbon?

Just wondering, as some have learned as they went along...what would you change on your system to make it better if you were to set the same system up again? If you had the room would you run a remote tank for DSB?

 

[rayn]

So everyone is happy with their current setup and wouldn't change a thing huh?!

 

[timkenagy]

I just went bare bottom on my display and am going remote dsb in my fuge with a giant ATS.. Still in the works but it was set up similar before and worked out well.

 

[brandon429]

age potential is proportional to export imo.

says the deep impact cleaner, sandbed flipper, detritus attacker. whether my small tank is bb, dsb, reverse ugf, has zero impact on longevity. if it was stacked full of bioballs it would still do what it does. longevity is hardware lucky and in proportion to detritus stored. I store zero detritus, so the tank cannot age to a point of loss (why reefs are thousands of years old) although an errant elbow or nerf ball could make it go extinct, ironic.

 

[rayn]

I did that on my last tank minus the ATS. It seemed to work well.

 

[Dtackett]

I agree with Brandon for small tanks, but our methods aren't as simple with the bigger tanks. after seeing the detritus storm in my bowl (even with 100% water changes plus flushing the rocks every week) I feel that bigger tanks need an even more proactive approach. blasting the rocks, changing the flow pattern, massive water changes, being proactive on algae control, replacing part of the sand bed each month (or even twice a month), high flow pushing directly towards your overflows, and ensuring your filtration can remove as much gunk as possible are all sure fire ways to make your tank last longer. as Brandon said, detritus/nutrient export is key. if you allow nutrients and detritus to build up, all youre doing is keeping a really expensive time bomb.

but more complicated isn't always better. look at @Paul B and his 44 year reef tank. He runs a reverse flow under gravel filter, DIY HOB skimmer, and an algae trough. the most complicated thing I can image for him is collecting the mud and natural bacteria and amphipods that he gets. that may not be easy for most of us to do, but his system alone is pretty simple.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

UG in the DT. DSB in the fuge with a lotta worms, Lotta LR in the sump. Garf Grunge. Skimmer rated for the tank. Lotta macros in the sump. I like the Idea of the macros in a bare bottom area. less messy + another gravity filter free.
No ATS for me just cuz I like macros.

 

[fishroomlady]

I would not do a DSB - but I wish I would have not put sand in my fuge - just chaeto in there. That's just what I would do differently on my current system to lower nutrients - I'm not a pro DSB person