i'll have to agree with bb, i just switched to a bb but i'm also useing starboard on the bottom of the tank. water movement is very important especially with a sps dominent tank. you cant get the water movement you need with a sand bed substraight unless you like the look of sand blowing all over the tank.lol.
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- Thread starter DonW
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We are also in the process of setting up a 110gal. SPS dominated tank. I was going to have a undergravel closed loop type of system, but have been considering going BB, and may need to redesign my closed loop. Not a hugh fan of the BB look, but might be something I can get used to if I don't have to do a lot of maintance like I would if I went with 1" of substrate.
One thing that worries me with a BB, and just glass not starboard, it the potential of falling rock work. I suppose it would only take one nice sized rock to fall just right and blow out the bottom of the tank, no?
After reading this thread, I had a thought. Don't know if this would work or not. Here goes:
Put a layer of sand in, say 1" then get a piece of acrylic to lay on top of that. Make sure the sand is really level and packed in there, then lay the acrylic on top of it and silicone it in. You would still have the look of a sandbed but would still be able to have some wild and crazy flow going on in there. I don't know if this would work, just thought i'd share my strange and demented thought with you all.
One thing that worries me with a BB, and just glass not starboard, it the potential of falling rock work. I suppose it would only take one nice sized rock to fall just right and blow out the bottom of the tank, no?
After reading this thread, I had a thought. Don't know if this would work or not. Here goes:
Put a layer of sand in, say 1" then get a piece of acrylic to lay on top of that. Make sure the sand is really level and packed in there, then lay the acrylic on top of it and silicone it in. You would still have the look of a sandbed but would still be able to have some wild and crazy flow going on in there. I don't know if this would work, just thought i'd share my strange and demented thought with you all.
hey all thoughts are good here. if you want to go with thing that is close but a little easier. just use a putty knife to smooth out some silicone on the bottom and then throw the sand on top of it. when it dries, just sweep out the excess. the bottom will look like sand and you can blast flow right on over top of it.
mike
mike
A little off topic, but I've been thinking lately about the whole denitrification thing and not having a DSB. I have a 10 gallon nano, so could not use a DSB if I wanted to. I have a 1" bed of Aragonite, and high quality LR. I know that my tank is quite capable of denitrification, because just after my tank cycled I had quite a bit of Nitrate, and within days, it went away. I have not had Nitrates since, despite feedings. But I also have no fish and lots of sps and lps coral, so that helps immensely.
If I were to put a load on my tank by adding fish, I think that now I would choose using clams to aid in my denitrification. From all I hear, they are good at scrubbing the water of nitrate, and I have the lights for it, so why not? They are pretty, functional, and no maintenance.
I read an article about a public aquarium that had a clam tank with some monster clams that they used to treat their whole sytem. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.
Just a thought.
If I were to put a load on my tank by adding fish, I think that now I would choose using clams to aid in my denitrification. From all I hear, they are good at scrubbing the water of nitrate, and I have the lights for it, so why not? They are pretty, functional, and no maintenance.
I read an article about a public aquarium that had a clam tank with some monster clams that they used to treat their whole sytem. If it's good enough for them, it's good enough for me.
Just a thought.
Last edited:
fishermann
Well-known member
Hey mike what about using some epoxy? pour a thin layer on the bottom and add some substrate of some kind and brush off excess. Much easier to work i would think.
DonW
R.I.P.
Thanks for all the replies. I think my solution is to just throw in a little around the edges of the rock. A scoop or two from my old bed. This should help the cycle. and look ok. I can suck it out slowly while the coraline grows in the bare spots.
How does that sound. New tank is almost done and ro is going full steam to make water.
Don
How does that sound. New tank is almost done and ro is going full steam to make water.
Don
