What to use for the bottom!

[carlos_fb]

I'm in the process of getting everything I need to get my first reef and I was wondering what should I use for the bottom of the tank. The guy from my local pet store said that I should use aragonite and on top of that some kind of material that looked pretty much like aragonite but it is suppose to be “live” even though it was in a bag.

 

[reefnetworth]

arag-alive is probably the sand. i wouldnt use crushed coral/aragonite. some tanks are bare bottom. some use Starboard. its up to you, and what you wish to keep in the aquarium. REEF-ON!

 

[NaH2O]

If you are going to do a sandbed, then you can always take a scoop of sand from a local reefkeeper's tank (fellow club member, etc) and add that to the "dead" sand. This will help to seed the sandbed. Not only with bacteria (like in live sand), but with other little critters, too.

This is a great thread, you may find it helpful: Let's Talk About ~Filtration Concepts~

 

[Krish]

Here's a thread Carlos about "live sand" you buy in the bag. About what to use will be a personal preference. When I used sand, I liked the fiji pink, but now I keep my tanks bare bottom so no more sand for me

http://www.reeffrontiers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17096

 

[shallowreef]

Stick with aragonite. I would buy one bag of live sand and then mix that with dead sand.

I'm not sure how big your tank is or how many lbs of sand you want but i would try to do 50/50 (50 live/50 dead)

Thats just what i have deone in the past.

 

[reefnetworth]

im not implying my believes to anyone. this is simply my set-up and has worked for 11 yrs. at the longest. an ice storm with 20f and no electricity for 4 days ended the journey.
DSB, of 3-4" (some are 5-6" or more)
no mechanical filtration (carbon)
skimmer 24 hrs. once a week. (Remora mj 1200)

DSB for benificial bacteria, pods and worms.
beneficial bacteria removes unwanted urea and fecal matter. (nitrogen cycle)
skimmer (with floss) to remove excess protiens, oils, detris.

some keepers fail with different applications, as well as this one. it is a labor of love indeed... i lightly stir the top layer (1.5-2") once a week and the feeding frenzy begins. corals open to fully and feed unlike prepared foods. fish eat pods, keeping the population under control.
detris is removed through floss filtering.
i allow (disturbed sand) it to circulate for about 30 minutes. i use an acrylic 3/8" rod to loosen sand to bottom of the tank. and reduce the possiblity of anerobic/aerobic pockets. then on goes the skimmer. 24 hrs later, its removed, cleaned, and stored.
im out of room on this reply page, i will continue on the fallowing page. REEF-ON!

 

[reefnetworth]

after initial set-up cycle, i have yet to experience parameters of any concern. (5 tanks operating, using this method) i allow the system 2 months of almost perfect parms before any addition. fish are added from dosil first, to semi-agressive last. one fish a month allowing the bacteria to adjust, keeping parms almost perfect. (corals are introduced the same) usually takes 6-7 months for complete set-up of fish and corals. patience is your best friend. water change of 10% monthly using IO. Alk, Calcium, Kalk, are homemade. its more indepth than this, but its the general idea. research+patience=sucess. i dont gaurantee my methods, but they work for me. good luck & REEF-ON!

 

[Gimpster]

Personaly i really like my Red Sea Reef Base. Its a light tan color, perfictly round and hightly. Light enough to boow around or be moved around bug ht fish, the sand sifting goby loves it, it won't lock togeather in to a brick and stays clean.

 

[ronj]

i am about to try my hand at a barebottom tank...i have always used aragonite...i want to keep my nitrate and waste down to a minimum in my new tank..

 

[Krish]

What to use for the bottom!

Vaseline!:lol: (LOL) Made any decision yet Carlos???

 

[ronj]

sorry krish..he doesn't mean the PP...he wants to put a substrate down

 

[carlos_fb]

Vaseline!:lol:

No comments LOL

Made any decision yet Carlos???

I really like how the sand look in the reef so I think I'm getting either full Arag-Alive bed (don't know which kind yet) or aragonite with Arag-Alive on top. Any suggestions??

 

[Krish]

Well, I ran a relatively shallow sand bed on my first setup (approximately 3 inches deep) using crushed corals and I couldn't keep up with the nitrates. I don't want to blame it totally on the substrate because there were many other contributing factors, but it didn't help the situation. Then I ran a much "shallower" sand bed (approximately 1.5 inches) with Fiji Pink sand and loved it! I would have probably stayed with it had it not been for my pumps sending the sand everywhere. So I ventured into bare bottom and love it more than anything. In any event, if I were to ever go back to a sand bed, I'd go back to the same shallow sand bed using fiji pink or a similar grain of substrate