Wippit Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 From what I'm reading it seems that sand is gooder. True/false? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+capty99 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I did my research 6 months back, and everyone has a completely different opinion. For example, you go to talk to Fishy Business and he will make you never want sand again, while others love their sand beds. Part of it is just preference I wouldn't say there is a clear winner in this argument. Quickly : It depends partly on what you want to put in the tank, you can't have diggers with crushed coral otherwise they will get torn up. (i've heard this - it may not be true in others' experience) A DSB (deep sand bed) has the possibility for nitrate buildup and if not kept in great shape can cause problems. A SSB (shallow sand bed) lessens the problems of nitrate buildup but still has to be kept clean. There are a thousand different reasons for each one obviously, I was just summarizing some big ones. I have an SSB , and I like the look of it, but if I started a new tank I think I would go with crushed coral, it just seems easier. There is also the option of throwing a DSB into your sump to get the benefits of it without it being such a big expanse to keep up with. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wippit Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 I may as well make this multipurpose. How do I determine how deep the substrate should be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeeperKeeper Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I'd go with sand=gooder, crushed coral=badder. That's partly because I like sand sifter gobies (even though I don't have one in my tank now). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddybluewater Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 A 40# bag will cover a 2x2 area 2" deep. I used 80# sand and 80# fine coral. It covered a 4x2 about 4" deep on average. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmanning Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 In our case....we had our tank for the past 4-5 yrs. and with it a 4"-5" sandbed. So far, no problems with it, except adjusting water flow to keep the sand from getting blasted. In my opinion, if you're worried about the detritus or how the SB looks on the surface...get some sea cucumbers (detrivores). They sift the surface of the SB without getting the it all over your corals. I love to see these creatures at work. They keep your sand looking clean, they're cool creatures to look at and they come in several colors.....yellow (the tigertail is my fave), black, burnt orange, pink w/black and some mottle colors. -Cindy- 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wippit Posted December 18, 2009 Author Share Posted December 18, 2009 The evil nitrate pockets seem to be the worst part of DSB. Is it possible to get the best of both worlds by layering? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 I'd say sand is better. Crushed coral catches small pieces of detrius. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+capty99 Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 The evil nitrate pockets seem to be the worst part of DSB. Is it possible to get the best of both worlds by layering? that would be the worst of both worlds i think. if a DSB is mixed up constantly its OK, its just that over time you will look at a tank and see the sand has formed layers, much like in rock, where you can see the lines in it. that is a bad situation for the tank. you need to commit to one of them full throttle imo to make it work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
labradorduck Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 Add in the next question, if sand which size? Special seafloor grade or sugar or another size. I'm not sure which is more gooder, could be a mix is bestest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+dapettit Posted December 18, 2009 Share Posted December 18, 2009 +1 what cmanning said Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wippit Posted December 19, 2009 Author Share Posted December 19, 2009 Oh lordy, sand comes in different sizes? LOL another thing to study. I'll go cry now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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