Matt

Hey all,

I was wondering if i should make my tank a bare bottom tank? because it seems so much better and so much more rewarding in the long run.Also i would like to know all the ups and downs of a BB tank and dont want anything to be left unknown.

I was also wondering if any of you could answer this. In my sump i have a large unfilled area in the 1st chamber of my sump (not with skimmers etc) and i was wondering if i could put in a shallow sandbed and put in some macro algae because i heard it can help with removing algae by challenging for food??

Thanks,

Matt

ATP

Hi matt,

If you're up for it I would give it a go. BB (bare bottom) tanks are easier to take of. Sand usually holds nutrients in them and they will not be a major part of your biological filtration unless you have a DSB (deep sand bed) which bacteria will push the nitrates upwards, but IMO DSB looks pretty ugly especially when it get over a year or two.

So I would recommend to go BB

I personally don't like the looks of bare bottom, but I don't like the look of DSB so yesterday I removed most of my sand, but I just leave some of them. From 1.5 inches-less than a quarter inch. Might remove more of them later.

ATP,

agsansoo

One of my favorite tanks (and is no longer setup) was the tank of Steve Weast of http://oregonreef.com. He used very little sand in his display, and would vacuum a portion of the sand out with each water change. When all the sand was gone, he would add one bag of sand back in the tank. One bag for a 800 gallon tank is not very much sand at all.

"To achieve the high water quality requirement, this system is set up along the thinking of a bare bottom philosophy…. namely, the removal, rather than the processing, of wastes. That means high flow, strong skimming, and a maintenance regiment that focuses on the removal of waste and detritus. The only modification to the bare bottom philosophy is the addition of a small amount of sand. Since I subscribe to the bare bottom philosophy, but hate the look of a bare bottom display, I added a thin layer (around 1 – 2 inches) of sand to the visible portions of the reef only. Yes, this means more maintenance (see maintenance section); but, the visual rewards are worth it." --Steve Weast

Matt

Thanks Andy

So i guess thats a yes from both of you and also how much more maintanence is it if you go BB?

Thanks,

Matt

agsansoo

Not much at all. Just increase your flow in the tank and vacuum up the poop the gathers in the corners once a week during water changes.

Matt

Okay Thanks Andy When My Family And I Get Back From The U.S.A I Will Most Likely Tear all the sand out and see how it goes

Thanks for your help guys

-Matt