Sand bed in sump/fuge

[Airphotog]

Anyone use a sandbed in their sump/fuge? If so how deep and how do you take care of it?

Brian....

 

[lvsuckerfish]

I used to have a dsb but now No I just used critters to maintain it fighting conch snails and nassirus snails few hermits and that was about all I ever used. I never stirred it!

 

[Dalbery]

Do a search. I asked this question a month ago. I ended up going with just some liverock rubble in my fuge for pods to hide in.

 

[iroll253]

I run no sand in my sump/fuge. This way i can vacuum the detritus that sits at the bottom every time i do a water change.

 

[aquariumdebacle]

no sand, vacumming with water changes is the best but if you use sand use 1 inch or less or 3 inches or more and replace on quarter of it every three months to completely cycle every year. Don't reuse old sand umless you acid bath it or bleach it to remove the organics entirely

 

[Krish]

I agree on the no sand as well. Sumps get pretty dirty which people fail to realize and do need cleaning. The little benefit you will get from a deep sand bed in a sump, IMO wouldn't be worth it. Better left to have the sand in the main display or like I like it, no sand anywhere at all! I figure where your sump is concerned, better to put maybe some live rock or a macro algae in there. Just my opinion though

 

[Chichas01]

no sand in the sump for me. I use a DSB in my fuge with low turn over rate but high flow using a couple K1's.

 

[Airphotog]

no sand in the sump for me. I use a DSB in my fuge with low turn over rate but high flow using a couple K1's.

What is DSB?

 

[lvsuckerfish]

dsb = deep sand bed

Well I agree with no sand I stated I have used it before but as Krish stated the little benifit you gain from it is not worth the extra maintence IMO rubble rock and critters withh be more benifical then a DSB I will have to find the artical that stated a dsb in a home aquaria will never be as efficent as the ocean being we have limited space to hold sand and would need so many square or cubic feet to accomplish this goal of a truely working DSB. I will search for it I believe I have it saved somewhere.

 

[Airphotog]

If I use rubble in the bottom can I put larger pieces in the bioball container with a filter sock?

 

[flatteringchild]

sand versus no sand

I don't use sand. It is more important for me to be able to suck all the crap off the bottom. I like to use different kinds of macro algae.

 

[Airphotog]

I think I will use larger rubble with a filter sock and macros. Is it a good idea to put star fish or hermit crabs in the sump/refugiam?