????Advantage and desadvantage of Sand Bed

[Jose]

Hi Reef lovers
I have problems with my substrate (now my sand is compact the same as a rock ... ????). So I would like to ask you guys your experience about this issue. The pros and cons about the sand bed system….
I was thinking to eliminate the sand in my tank. Do you think it is crazy?
I am in the hobby for more than a year.
I have 55 gallons tank, 20 gallons refugee and 15 gallons sump with a protein skimmer that I believe is not very good (I need to clean it every 4 days).
70 pound of live rock..
3 fish Wrasse, Goby, and Clown
8 different kind of live coral…
Sorry for my grammar mistake English is my second language
Thanks
Jose

 

[gman0526]

For how long has the SB been set up? What kind/size grains are you using? How deep? What are the tank's chem. levels Ca/Mg/Alk/Ph ? Are you dosing any supplements? Are there any sand bed stirring critters?

Let's start with these and try to help you.

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF if I haven't welcomed you already Jose! As you will probably see, a discussion on substrate has been beat to pieces here and everywhere. It has come down to now just a matter of personal opinion because all work well if taken care of the right way.

Some great questions have already been asked so I guess we'll wait on a reply first to see what we can come up with. About your skimmer, if you have to clean it ever 4 days because it is so much skimmate, then it is doing a great job. It's the skimmers that don't produce anything that is considered junk BTW, what kind of skimmer is it???

 

[Jose]

Hi Krist
Thanks for your information.
My skimer is part of the sump. PRO 75 WET/DRY + PROTEIN SKIMMER
You can see it in this link ...
http://www.bluesierraexotics.com/specials.htm
Do you think this protein skimer is OK for a 55 gallons (plus 20 gallons Refuge) or I need to buy another Protein Skimer?
Take care
Jose

 

[Jose]

Hi Copepod
I have the Sb for more than a year.
PH 8.3-8.4
Alk I don't know.. My test kit is not very good. It indicate that my level is normal .... So I need to buy different kind of test kit..
Ca 350-325
Mg I don't know????
PO4 0.5
I an dosing part A-B, and Kalwaser every day .....
Take care
Jose

 

[Krish]

Hey Jose! I had the pro150 wet/dry on my old setup. The model up from yours. The skimmer for me personally had issues. I had to have the company send me a new venturi (the white pvc piece that attaches to the skimmer pump with the airline tubing) and still didn't work all that well for me. After much research here on the forum and a lot of feedback on the issue, I got rid of it because it all boiled down to the fact that a wet/dry does nothing to remove nitrates. In a FO (fish only) system, higher nitrate level aren't a major problem for the fish as they can handle quite a few ppm of it (40-60ppm in some cases) Not necessarily the best thing for the fish, but much easier on them than on corals. A wet/dry is very efficient in what it does (converting toxic ammonia to less toxic nitrite to even less toxic nitrate is a short amount of time) which makes it good for a FO system. A problem you will have though associated with high levels of nitrates is you tend to get a lot of nuicance algae which is a pain to get rid of when you have a "nitrate factory" connected to your system (as they call wet/dry's because they have no way of getting rid of nitrates and only produce them) Nevertheless, you can keep low nitrate levels with one, it's just a lot more work on your part with frequent water changes and heavy skimming.

After all that said, Are you planning on adding corals? If so, you may want to get a little more feedback from the others on whether or not you should use the wet/dry or convert it to a sump. It may save you a little bit of heartache down the road. HTH

 

[wrightme43]

I have read about other people having thier sand clump up, were able to get it loose again with a butter knife, just cutting thru it, like making a pie crust from scratch.
My tank is bare bottom, and I like it very much. I have had sand beds, and would rather not have one now. It seems to work alot better for me.
Welcome to R.F. hope this helps.

 

[MikeS]

Hi Jose, welcome to Reef Frontiers...

Every sceme, whether it be DSB or BB, has its pros and cons. No matter what setup you select, proper tank husbandry is ultimately the key to longer term success. I've had a DSB for 5 years, I had to move my tank unexpectantly 6 months ago and decided to experiment with a BB setup instead of relpacing the sandbed.

The key to a DSB is understanding how it works, and what it's limitations are. If you have a good grasp on that, it's easier to make it a viable solution to many tank problems for several years. If you have a very high bioload, or not a lot of time for tank maintenance, then generally speaking your DSB will have a shorter lifespan before it may become problematic.

MikeS

 

[Krish]

Also, to add to what Steve said, if you are using a ssb and it is only there for looks and not specifically for filtration purposes,, when doing a water change, I'd vaccum the substrate really good which will loosen it up and remove the "junk" at the same time (if you are not doing this already)

 

[Jose]

Hola Krish
I have a 20 gallons refugee. I think that is why I don’t have nitrites and nitrates.. Also I put live rock in my sump…. (I think it help more…) …..
I have 8 corals … Frog coral (that I think my clown fish is eating him), brain coral, a couple of mushroom coral and button police and 3 SPS…
Take care and thanks

Jose

 

[Krish]

Hola Krish
I have a 20 gallons refugee. I think that is why I don’t have nitrites and nitrates.. Also I put live rock in my sump…. (I think it help more…) …..
I have 8 corals … Frog coral (that I think my clown fish is eating him), brain coral, a couple of mushroom coral and button police and 3 SPS…
Take care and thanks

Jose

No problem man...Anytime. Just trying to help where I can