Shallow sand bed. Should I try again?

eskymick · 01/22/2013, 11:22 AM

In general, I’ve had great success with “bare-bottom” SPS reefing. I do have a fast-maturing SPS reef in a 36” (135 gallon) rimless cube. With that background in mind, I feel it’s time to do some thinning and re-aquascaping. I have the following concerns and questions:

I wish to provide a more “minimalist” look to my reef (instead of a wall-to-wall” stack of live rocked topped with coral colonies) .. allowing my SPS colonies more room to grow while providing a more natural look. However, with a bare-bottom reef, a minimalist look will unveil the “ugliness” of a bare-bottom tank.

I do love the look of a sand bottom, and, on several occasions, I’ve tried putting in a shallow sand bed. Unfortunately, on every attempt, I ended up with a solid mass of dirty substrate. For that reason, I hesitate to do it again.

Perhaps I’ve been doing it all wrong, or even using the wrong kind of substrate. I now seek the advice of other reefers. Questions:

Is there a specific type of substrate which is a bit more resistant to solidifying and clumping?

Since I dose “two-part”, does that contribute to the clumping/solidifying problem?

For ease of maintenance, I prefer a shallow sand (or gravel) bed. Is there a specific size of the substrate which works best?

Any help, suggestions, and sharing of personal experiences will be greatly appreciated.

coralsnaked · 01/22/2013, 01:25 PM

I am a beleiver that if it ain't broke don't fix it ! Bare bottom works best for SPS. But if you must have a substrate for appearnace sake I like a sand bed composed of 50/50 mix of Aragonite Caribsea and CaribSea Oolitic

eskymick · 01/22/2013, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by coralsnaked

I am a beleiver that if it ain't broke don't fix it ! Bare bottom works best for SPS.

Thanks for the reminder. :-)

trackhazard · 01/22/2013, 09:41 PM

If its really a minimal amount of sand, whats preventing you from regularly replacing it during water changes? You should be able to replace a couple cups of it each time. This way you keep your sand clean and export nutrients. You can even recycle the old sand by sterilizing it and re-introducing it to the tank once its clean.

-Charlie

01/22/2013, 11:22 AM	#1
eskymick Registered Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Pulaski, WI Posts: 1,368	Shallow sand bed. Should I try again? In general, I’ve had great success with “bare-bottom” SPS reefing. I do have a fast-maturing SPS reef in a 36” (135 gallon) rimless cube. With that background in mind, I feel it’s time to do some thinning and re-aquascaping. I have the following concerns and questions: I wish to provide a more “minimalist” look to my reef (instead of a wall-to-wall” stack of live rocked topped with coral colonies) .. allowing my SPS colonies more room to grow while providing a more natural look. However, with a bare-bottom reef, a minimalist look will unveil the “ugliness” of a bare-bottom tank. I do love the look of a sand bottom, and, on several occasions, I’ve tried putting in a shallow sand bed. Unfortunately, on every attempt, I ended up with a solid mass of dirty substrate. For that reason, I hesitate to do it again. Perhaps I’ve been doing it all wrong, or even using the wrong kind of substrate. I now seek the advice of other reefers. Questions: Is there a specific type of substrate which is a bit more resistant to solidifying and clumping? Since I dose “two-part”, does that contribute to the clumping/solidifying problem? For ease of maintenance, I prefer a shallow sand (or gravel) bed. Is there a specific size of the substrate which works best? Any help, suggestions, and sharing of personal experiences will be greatly appreciated. __________________ SG - 1.025 pH - 8.1 NH4/NH3 - 0 mg/L NO2 - .003 mg/L NO3 - .2 mg/L Calc. - 420 dKH - 8.0 Flow ~ 80x Current Tank Info: 24" cube SPS Reef, 15 gal sump, 1- LumenBright Pendant with 250w 20K Phoenix lamp, 1 - Vortech MP40, ATB 840 v1.5 skimmer.

01/22/2013, 01:25 PM	#2
coralsnaked Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Austin / Port Aransas, TX Posts: 1,479	I am a beleiver that if it ain't broke don't fix it ! Bare bottom works best for SPS. But if you must have a substrate for appearnace sake I like a sand bed composed of 50/50 mix of Aragonite Caribsea and CaribSea Oolitic

01/22/2013, 09:41 PM	#4
trackhazard Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 138	If its really a minimal amount of sand, whats preventing you from regularly replacing it during water changes? You should be able to replace a couple cups of it each time. This way you keep your sand clean and export nutrients. You can even recycle the old sand by sterilizing it and re-introducing it to the tank once its clean. -Charlie