Guest Kimo August 17, 2004 August 17, 2004 Hi everyone - I have been doing a lot of reading on Reefcentral about the good and evils of the Deep Sand Bed (DSB) methodology. Needless to say people are very opinionated over there. I am interested as to what works for you guys. I'd just like to have a discussion about what works for you and what doesn't (or didn't!) I don't think egos will get in the way here. :D Now I know this is long, but think of it as an investment, at least for new members. You don't need to answer all the questions. I'm sure that I'm not the only one interested in how other people set up their systems, so come on. Humor me! ]]]thx Lets try to post the following information, so we all know what is used locally: 1.) What size tank do you have? I have a 180 Gallon Oceanic Reef Ready with about 200 gallons total water volume. 2.) What filtration methodologies do you use? (i.e. DSB, Refugia, Plenum, Heavy/Medium/Light Skimming etc.) I have a DSB, no refugium. I feel that I have medium to heavy skimming. 3.) Do you have a sand bed? How deep? Yes, about 5" in places, 0" in others due to heavy current. 4.) How much live rock do you have? I have about 180 lbs of live rock or so. I prefer less rock. 5.) How much flow do you have? I have a closed loop at ~3000 gal/hr and a return at ~900 gal/hr. 6.) What are your stocking levels? How much do you feed? What do you feed? I have 6 fish, one big Sailfin Tang, a Potters angel, 2 clowns and two anthias. I feed one cube of mysis daily, or a small chunk of homemade blender mush. 7.) How is this working out for you? (Nitrates, Phosphates, General health, Algae growth etc.) Ok. I had a major crash when my auto top off got stuck 2 times in a row. My salinity was at 30. I lost much of my sandbed fauna, and my sandbed is now FUNKY. I am questioning the merits of the DSB and am open to other ideas. My tank is recovering, but the sand is still very funky and gets blown around, on the rocks, on the corals A LOT. When the crash occured, the corals looked burned. I have some cyano on the sand. I believe it is feeding on nutrients from all the funk. Nitrates = < 10 ppm Phosphates = undetectable Below you can find a template that you can cut and paste for the above questions. Just put your answers in the indicated positions. Please feel free to include any further information that you may find to be helpful for the discussion. I look forward to hearing what you all have to add! Jamie [B]1.) What size tank do you have?[/B] [color=blue]<answer here>[/color] [B]2.) What filtration methodologies do you use? (i.e. DSB, Refugia, Plenum, Heavy/Medium/Light Skimming etc.)[/B] [color=blue]<answer here>[/color] [B]3.) Do you have a sand bed? How deep?[/B] [color=blue]<answer here>[/color] [B]4.) How much live rock do you have?[/B] [color=blue]<answer here>[/color] [B]5.) How much flow do you have?[/B] [color=blue]<answer here>[/color] [B]6.) What are your stocking levels? How much do you feed? What do you feed?[/B] [color=blue]<answer here>[/color] [B]7.) How is this working out for you? (Nitrates, Phosphates, General health, Algae growth etc.)[/B] [color=blue]<answer here>[/color]
Lee Stearns August 17, 2004 August 17, 2004 Kimo- Because you are such a great guy in making me take a peice of of your green digitata back at Eddi's food making party which has started me on the road to accepting a few of the hardier SPS- I will concent to go through the questionare. 1.) What size tank do you have?[i have a 150g with two overflows, a 50 G sump/refuge] 2.) What filtration methodologies do you use? (i.e. DSB, Refugia, Plenum, Heavy/Medium/Light Skimming etc.) [Medium-light skimming because my sump level doesn't stay constant enough to optimize my skimmer effectiveness, lots of macro in the refuge with no fish there, also a mechanical filtration box with a bit of chemi pure or charcoal, and one phos resin bag that I recharge whenever it turns brown] 3.) Do you have a sand bed? How deep?[ about a 3 inch sand bed- with a fair amount of worm activity- in both the refuge and the main tank. I keep a rubble area in the tank and a crushed coral area in another corner of the tank] 4.) How much live rock do you have?[? don't know always changing/adding and a bit at a time- but I would say about 150 lbs] 5.) How much flow do you have?[Mag 12 return with 4 1200 maxi jets on a wave timer] 6.) What are your stocking levels? How much do you feed? What do you feed?[ Stocking is- powder blue, blue hippo, yellow TANGS, six line, green BTA,two cleaner shrimp and an assortment of mainly soft corals, but with some LPS and SPS. Feed very sparingly each day, but about twice a week I feed out heavy to include cyclopeze, SELCON soaked mysis,home made fish party mash, keep macro in tank for tangs and replenish as necessary, daily a few shrinp pellets, or spirulina flakes and target some silver sides twice a week to BTA. twice a week home grown Phyto and rotifers, two cups.] 7.) How is this working out for you? (Nitrates, Phosphates, General health, Algae growth etc.) [zero Phos, zero nitrates, some green algea growth on front and side glass which is wiped away every other day with magnet, did have some hair which I have finally the right balance eaters for; 1 mythr crab, some red legs, some snails(ceriths, 1 fighter, nerites,astrella)and grazing tangs keep in check. May screw up my great balance by adding a long spine urchin to the sump, to be moved to the main tank for baby bangai births. Coraline growth OK. Drip Kalk for water top off, occasionally add calcium and water change about 5 gallons a week. Ph constant between 8.10 and 8.25, with temp between 79.5-81.5,salinity 1.024,Ca finally between 350 and 450, ALk 3.0-3.5 meg/l ]
Caribbean Jake August 17, 2004 August 17, 2004 Kimo, I have to agree with Lee on the length of the questionaire but here I go to help you out. 1.) What size tank do you have? I have a 135 Gallon with 30 G sump. Also a 55 G, both all glass - Oceanic 2.) What filtration methodologies do you use? (i.e. DSB, Refugia, Plenum, Heavy/Medium/Light Skimming etc.) 135 G has LR, Skimmer, and Overflow with sump 55 G has LR and skimmer 3.) Do you have a sand bed? How deep? 135 G has 2" sand bed mixed with crushed coral 55 G has 3" of crushed coral only 4.) How much live rock do you have? 135 G has about 130# 55 G has about 78# 5.) How much flow do you have? 135 G has aprox. 2100 GPH including sump 55 G has aprox. 915 GPH 6.) What are your stocking levels? How much do you feed? What do you feed? I feed two cubes daily divided into two tanks. 7.) How is this working out for you? (Nitrates, Phosphates, General health, Algae growth etc.) All parameters are under control except phosphate and Ca on the 135G that are a little high Jacob
GaryL August 18, 2004 August 18, 2004 1.) What size tank do you have? I have a 150 drilled with 2 overflows and a closed loop, 75 gallon refugium. 2.) What filtration methodologies do you use? DSB (south down) LR Refugium with a DSB mixed crushed coral and south down with a experimental plenum with a drill clean out. 3.) Do you have a sand bed? How deep? Yes, about 6" in places, . 4.) How much live rock do you have? I have about 100 lbs of live rock or so. I also have about 100 lbs of base rock (limestone). 5.) How much flow do you have? I have a closed loop at ~1100 gal/hr and a return at ~1100 gal/hr also 1200gph of Power Heads. 6.) What are your stocking levels? How much do you feed? What do you feed? I have 4 fish, all Mollies seem to be doing well while cycling the tank,they really came alive when amonia went to zero, feed them flake daily they also pick algae off the glass one Lps unknown xenia that just popped up and a gorgonian. 7.) How is this working out for you? (Nitrates, Phosphates, General health, Algae growth etc.) ammonia is 0, nitrates are ~35 and dropping since last measurement i dont have a phosphate test kit i have a bouch og algea control critters scarlets,blue legs, emeralds, ton of snails i know im new to a reef tank but after the researching i did this is what i deciced to go with I would like to add another question What type of salt mix do you use? Marine mix Bio Essay
Grav August 18, 2004 August 18, 2004 1.) What size tank do you have? 33g (same as a 55 but shorter) 2.) What filtration methodologies do you use? HOB skimmer for a 90g tank, large double filter bag (w/carbon) "surge" HOB power filter, 230w of PC light, macro/ruble pile "fuge" in the tank 3.) Do you have a sand bed? How deep? 2 inch-ish, about 45#s 4.) How much live rock do you have? about 35-40#s. 5.) How much flow do you have? I think I turn the tank about 12-15 times per hour 6.) What are your stocking levels? How much do you feed? What do you feed? 4 fish, a clown, a firefish, watchman goby, Royal Gramma. 2 shrimp, 12-ish 7.) How is this working out for you? (Nitrates, Phosphates, General health, Algae growth etc.) N =0, Phos= 0, Health good, Nussance Algae I got a little (wsh I could have a tang.... getting a bigger tank soon) better since adding the Macro. Jamie, I wouldn't answer this many questions for my wife if I came home smelling of cheap booz and women at 5:00am... you better post some kind of scientific findings.
Guest bill33 August 18, 2004 August 18, 2004 1. what size tank do you have? 10g 2.what filteration methods do you use? skimmer, lr, and a hob filter 3. do you have a sand bed? yes about 1inch 4. how much live rock do you have? about 10pounds 5. how much flow do you have? im turning the tank about 8-10 times a hour 6. what are your stocking levels? How much do you feed? what do you feed? 2 ocellaris clowns. i feed them about once every 2 days. i feed them brine flake 7. how is this working out for you? (nitrates,phosphates,general health,algea growth etc.) n-0 phos-was out of whack but 0 now, health is great, algea is reall low
Guest cjm033 August 18, 2004 August 18, 2004 1.) What size tank do you have? 2.5 gal, .75 gal 2.) What filtration methodologies do you use? (i.e. DSB, Refugia, Plenum, Heavy/Medium/Light Skimming etc.) 2.5-fuge/sump,hob with carbon and floss, no skimming .75- mini fuge in the hob with a little floss,no skimming 3.) Do you have a sand bed? How deep? yes about 1 inch deep in both tanks 4.) How much live rock do you have? 2.5- about 7 lbs maby more .75- about 1-2 lbs 5.) How much flow do you have? i turn the tank around 70 times in the 2.5 per hour and about 60 in the .75 per hour 6.) What are your stocking levels? How much do you feed? What do you feed? 2.5 loaded with corals,cleanup crew, 2 redhead gobies i feed every 2-4 days depending on if i rember, chunk of cyclopeeze, and flake (rotate) .75-corals blue devil damsel im tryn to get rid of feed same scedule as 2.5 but lighter 7.) How is this working out for you? (Nitrates, Phosphates, General health, Algae growth etc.) all my levels are fine and its worke dout great so far, and i dont have any alage problems.
ctreptow August 19, 2004 August 19, 2004 Hi all I hope this helps.. 1.) What size tank do you have? 30 Gallon 2.) What filtration methodologies do you use? (i.e. DSB, Refugia, Plenum, Heavy/Medium/Light Skimming etc.) 2 inch sand bed and hob skimmer 3.) Do you have a sand bed? How deep? About 2 to 3 inches 4.) How much live rock do you have? 70 Lbs 5.) How much flow do you have? REturn from Skimmer RIO 800 and 2 Maxijet 900's 6.) What are your stocking levels? How much do you feed? What do you feed? I have 2 clowns a 13" toadstool and a couple other softies. I feed flake in the morning and frozen Brine at night 7.) How is this working out for you? (Nitrates, Phosphates, General health, Algae growth etc.) My levels have been great for 2 years now Thanks for this info. I am currently in the middle of a large upgrade from my 30G to 2 75G's and this really helps me see how others are doing it. Thanks Chris
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