Bare Bottom or Not ??

[Grey Legion]

Alrighty, Let me get right to the point here with this question

Is it considered a good idea to go bare bottom in a marine tank ?

I have a 1 inch deep bed of crushed coral (kitty litter size) but heard that is not a good choice, I got the coral for free so decided to use it should I change my mind ??

I don't really want to buy anything that I don't need so if bare bottom is ok I may go for that or I have other choices..let me show you

These are my thoughts

1 - Bare Bottom
2 - Bare Bottom cover with LR rubble
3 - 1 inch crushed coral ( what I have now )
4- remove crushed coral and keep only about 1/4 deep

The tank is 35G and will contain about 40+ pounds of LR so there won't be alot of floor showing..99% of my FW tanks are bare bottom so I am used to the cleaning of them and such. I like option 2 but I am worried about crabs/shrimps/worm/snails getting around would that cause problems in the future ??

Thanks

 

[Krish]

You know my vote, but for the record I like the ease of keeping a tank clean with a bare bottom setup. Also, you can use really high flow to keep detritus in suspension without creating a sand storm. Definately an aquired taste though and also, depending on what critters and fish you want, substrate may be a must

 

[tike]

Okay, I vote BB. I had a DSB for about 3 years. The first few years it worked out great. Then i started having all kinds of nutrient problems! I could NEVER get my trates below 20. I removed the sand bed and haven't had a problem since. It has only been 10 months or so since i did this.

I don't think the rock rubble is a good idea. Too many spaces and gaps for detritus to collect.

There are a lot of folks here that have had good success with a sand bed so i think you should also listen to what they have to say also.

HTH
willie

 

[Grey Legion]

You know my vote, but for the record I like the ease of keeping a tank clean with a bare bottom setup. Also, you can use really high flow to keep detritus in suspension without creating a sand storm. Definately an aquired taste though and also, depending on what critters and fish you want, substrate may be a must

Point taken in regards to the critters and fish...

I saw a few pictures of nano's with bare bottoms and I must say I love the look, nice and clean of course having aged LR helps..

Any more thoughts ??

 

[sryder]

it all depends on your likes and dislikes. what you want to keep and your maintenance routines. I prefer bb for the ease of cleanup. high flow does not disturb it and soon becomes coraline covered anyway. if you desire certain sand loving animals that is another story. you will have to have a fine grain aragonite for certain gobies, jawfish, wrasses, stars cucumbers, etc. i think it all comes down to personal preference. i also know that my barebottom will never leech anything back to my system.
steve

 

[Grey Legion]

Okay, I vote BB. I had a DSB for about 3 years. The first few years it worked out great. Then i started having all kinds of nutrient problems! I could NEVER get my trates below 20. I removed the sand bed and haven't had a problem since. It has only been 10 months or so since i did this.

I don't think the rock rubble is a good idea. Too many spaces and gaps for detritus to collect.

There are a lot of folks here that have had good success with a sand bed so i think you should also listen to what they have to say also.

HTH
willie

What is detritus ??

also the rubble is large enough ( looks like coral frags ) to allow for a ton of lfow to get through, my thought was simply to cover the reflection of the glass..but I am open to all idea's..

 

[Grey Legion]

it all depends on your likes and dislikes. what you want to keep and your maintenance routines. I prefer bb for the ease of cleanup. high flow does not disturb it and soon becomes coraline covered anyway. if you desire certain sand loving animals that is another story. you will have to have a fine grain aragonite for certain gobies, jawfish, wrasses, stars cucumbers, etc. i think it all comes down to personal preference. i also know that my barebottom will never leech anything back to my system.
steve

Hmmm...looks like I may have to look into what can be kept in a BB tank, I have not even put any thought into what I want..I was really thinking just to see what starts to grow/live after the cycle is complete and then base my choice on livestock based upon my tank setup..

Great advice..

 

[tike]

What is detritus ??

also the rubble is large enough ( looks like coral frags ) to allow for a ton of lfow to get through, my thought was simply to cover the reflection of the glass..but I am open to all idea's..

Q1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detritus

I feel there will be dead spots in the rubble where detritus can build up. IMO not a good idea. What type of corals are you planning on keeping??

 

[sryder]

look around grey and ask questions as far as compatibility. certain fish need to be fed often some not much at all. some corals can live together witth the same lighting and some cannot. some fish dont like crabs or shrimp while others will eat them. it is a balanced tank that does well. I like a good mix of things to have the most biodiversity that I can have. start with the small the copepods,amphipods, snails ,shrimp ,stars, hermits and check for wich ones some eat coral and or your snails. some people dont like any crabs. start with a hearty fish that you will want to keep later go slow and add things slowly. qt anything you get for a couple of weeks. most here are willing and will help with anything you need.
steve

 

[Grey Legion]

Thanks for the fast replies, man this site is great !!

I have a ton of stuff still to learn and I love every minute of it !!

Looks like I may simply choose to have a thin layer of crushed coral maybe a 1/4 inch or so..

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=19767

I have limits as to what I can do click on the above link for all the details..

 

[sryder]

imo i if i was going to have any substrate it would be a 5" or so sand bottom. dsb. i would think cc would accumalate too much detritus.

 

[Grey Legion]

imo i if i was going to have any substrate it would be a 5" or so sand bottom. dsb. i would think cc would accumalate too much detritus.

Well now I am trapped..thank you very much :lol:

ok so my 2 choices are now

Bare Bottom

1/4 of crushed coral..

I like the thought of both but seeing as this is a work tank a DSB will be saved for tank #2..

I'll start to remove crushed coral tonight and see where I go..

 

[Krish]

Here's some polls you can take a peek at as well

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11329&highlight=substrate+poll


http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8125&highlight=substrate+polls

 

[Grey Legion]

Those polls were good reading..

Looks like my mind is made up..Bare Bottom it is !!

Thanks to all for the wealth of info/tip/advice

Man I love this place !!

 

[Krish]

Congrats!!! I'm sure you will love it with a saltwater tank just as much as you did wish fresh

 

[Brenden]

My current tank has a 2-3" sand bed. I have it for looks and also gobies. I think with my new tank I may try BB.(maybe)

 

[ronj]

all of my past tanks had a sand bed..i just got my 125g up and it is BB..i love it...my nitrates are pretty much around zero..i vote BB!!!

 

[Grey Legion]

I started tonight to suck out the crushed coral, lucky the tank has almost nothing in it..what a mess !?!

I think I'll be sticking with BB tanks for SW from now on..

The water now looks like milk with a hint of green !?! ( new CC ) I find this odd and I am happy to be rid of it.

I put a HOB filter on full of floss to hopefully clear up the water over night..

I'll keep you posted..

 

[Krish]

Here's what I think of bare bottom tanks...

Here's my first tank after going bb (90 gal)





Then my 75gal I switched to with white PVC board down






Then my 38gal cube I switched to with white pvc board again







And now my 24 gal Aquapod with nothing down. Just bare glass again

 

[dragoneggs]

I am planning on a SSB as I will have a fair amount of 'beach' area. I would like to go as shallow as possible with still the oportunity for sand loving animals to be happy and effective. What do people think is the minimum thickness considering maintenance, detritus buildup issues, and variety of sand loving animals? Is 1 - 2 inches okay?