What is better sand bottom or bare bottom in reef tank???

D

djgrome

Banned
I used to have bare bottom in my reef it was a lot
Easier to clean my tank as far as waste but the bottom
Of the glass would get covered in algae so fast
Now I have a sand bottom and it is really a pain to
Syphin and it holds a lot more waste I think
I need in my reef should I keep the sand bed or deuce it??
Wat are the benifits pros and cons??
I want some or your opinions and advice
Thanks
 
for practical purposes, bare bottom is the way to go. you just need a powerhead dedicated to blowing detritus off bottom of tank and let them get floated into your overflow for your skimmer to export.
sand is more just for looks, or if you have sand dwelling inhabitants.
 
I'm very partial to sand becasue it looks sooo much better. I'd rather put in the extra effort to clean it and deal with the potential nutrients. A consideration with sand is that it should probably get a very thorough cleaning (if not replacing) ever year or so. I was reading an article about a guy who had an incredible sps tank. After 3 years, he went bb and saw an improvement in his sps. I haven't syphoned my sb in over a year. I've let my cuc and yellow coris keep it turned over. After reading the article I'm seriously thinking about syphoning it all out and cleaning it in a bucket and then putting it back in. http://www.coralmagazine-us.com/content/aquarium-portrait-dan-rigles-acropora-obsession

Some people are the opposite, they'd rather not bother with extra maintenance and use the BB as a tool to keep nutrients low. Some even like the "clean" look of the bare bottom. It's totally a personal preference.
 
I think a sand bed is a more natural approach....and to keep the maintenance down, you could run a really shallow sand bed around .5-1 inch. Just enough to cover the bottom but not enough for it to accumulate anything. But like mentioned, it's a personal preference of what you like.
 
I personally hate bare bottom. I stir my sand bed once a week to keep it clean ive been using same sand for ten years never replaced been coppered twice never had issues with it. Its is definitly personal prefrence though i have all sps in my tank doing great for two years now . But every tank is different i have noticed what works for one dont work for another
 
I prefer a deep sand bed too. I think a lot of people have problems with sand beds because they don't have enough flow. This allows waste to pile up around the rock structures and low spots. Sand beds are supposed to move just like the sand dunes at a beach. Only we don't want them to move because they are in an enclosed area.

Everyone has their own reasons for using a SB or not. It's all up to what you like in your setup.
 
So far 5 to 3 for sand
Thanks for all the comments and knowledge
I'm still deciding on Wat to do it looks better but
I think it would b way easier to clean no ?
 
Those questions have been answered at least a thousand times on here. If you want the sand bed for aesthetics only (you mentioned not liking bare bottom tanks), make a faux sand bed. If you want the natural filtration/livestock that requires sand, get send then. Not sure what else you're looking for.
 
Why not build a glass box inside the tank where you can add sand and the outer will be bare bottom ;)

Will give you the nice look with sand and easy to clean.

Bam ;)
 
yogoshio said:
Those questions have been answered at least a thousand times on here. If you want the sand bed for aesthetics only (you mentioned not liking bare bottom tanks), make a faux sand bed. If you want the natural filtration/livestock that requires sand, get send then. Not sure what else you're looking for.
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one whats a faux sand bed? never heard of it before sorry . second who cares how many times questions r asked on here thats what reef forums r about asking questions that been answered a million times before. and helping out a fellow reefer. one thing i hate on these forums is people who answer hey where u been living under a rock that answer is been answered before cant keep answering it . no keep asking thats what these sites r made for communication. sharing knowledge. helping out a fellow reefer making decisions no matter what they r. just my oppinion . cause one day im gonna ask a stupid question i need a answer to and i hope there be some one that can look past it being a simple answer and give me a answer.
 
I had tanks with sand and BB. Sand looks nice and more natural than BB, but if not maintained properly I will accumulate detritus and cause nutrient spike in your tank. Most people start with sand and vacuum it regularly ,but with time most of us get lazy and start skipping on maintenance. Also with time, your corals will take over your tank and it will be difficult to get to some areas to clean without braking corals. That's why with time, most of tanks with sand start producing nutrients and a lot of them have major crash about 5th year.In my present tank I went with BB, and main goal was to ease of removing detritus.My tank is mostly SPS and it is very important to me to maintain optimal water parameters. Also I need more flow than LPS or softie tank and sand would be blown everywhere around my tank. So to answer your question to go with sand or BB, you need to know what corals you will keep in your tank ( SPS,LPS,soft corals) and also what kind of fish.Some, like wrasses,jawfish,gobies need sand to feel comfortable and thrive in your tank. Also aesthetic are important too,some people just can't stand the look of BB. To make BB more natural you can have some corals there, that spread on glass and with time will cover most of it. Ricordeas, chalices,encrusting montis or polyps are good choices as they need less light and cover the area relatively fast.
 
MMreef said:
I had tanks with sand and BB. Sand looks nice and more natural than BB, but if not maintained properly I will accumulate detritus and cause nutrient spike in your tank. Most people start with sand and vacuum it regularly ,but with time most of us get lazy and start skipping on maintenance. Also with time, your corals will take over your tank and it will be difficult to get to some areas to clean without braking corals. That's why with time, most of tanks with sand start producing nutrients and a lot of them have major crash about 5th year.In my present tank I went with BB, and main goal was to ease of removing detritus.My tank is mostly SPS and it is very important to me to maintain optimal water parameters. Also I need more flow than LPS or softie tank and sand would be blown everywhere around my tank. So to answer your question to go with sand or BB, you need to know what corals you will keep in your tank ( SPS,LPS,soft corals) and also what kind of fish.Some, like wrasses,jawfish,gobies need sand to feel comfortable and thrive in your tank. Also aesthetic are important too,some people just can't stand the look of BB. To make BB more natural you can have some corals there, that spread on glass and with time will cover most of it. Ricordeas, chalices,encrusting montis or polyps are good choices as they need less light and cover the area relatively fast.
Click to expand...

Well said.
 
I've been doing some research on the faux sandbeds and I think I am on board with it. Could anyone on here who has one share pix and tell me what method you used to make it? I am thinking of getting a single sheet of High-Density Polyethylene (the same as the Starboard boards) but I am not looking for a completely flat sand bed look. I want to make some hills and valleys and am trying to find the best way to do that. Maybe using some of the Dow Foam?
 
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