lduncan

Walt Smith nobilis? Looks similar to what Redwood had in their last shipment. Layton

The thing is though, that they don't just absorb everything. They create waste themselves, maybe in a different form, but it's still waste. What happens to that?

Looks good. Colours are great. Layton

i think he knows better than to prove something by example ;-) True there are some average looking BB tanks, just like there are some average looking dsb tanks. I'm more interested in the methodology rather than aesthetics. You can follow the bare bottom methodology, while still having sand. Similar to what Steve Weast does, vacuum the sand and continually replace it to keep it from acting like a sand bed. IE keep the sand free of accumulated detritus. It's just easier to tell how clean the tank is without having sand there. I guess the focus is on removing the crap, rather than sweeping it under the carpet. Layton

Bomber does has that "hatred" by some. Mainly because his approach is not to tell people how things work, but to throw enough hints in the right direction, so that through your own work/research, you discover how things work. Which, in my opinion, can be a more valuable way of learning things, it gives you a deeper understanding. Some people can't handle this. Also, he's not on a crusade to rid the world of DSB's. Different animals require different methods. For example a soft coral tank may be indifferent to fluxes which happen in DSB systems. He doesn't subscribe to a BB for every tank approach. I don't see what is so extreme about him? Layton

This info is all from a "real" expert. Bomber on RC. Works for NOAA in the Florida keys, mainly in reef reconstruction. Been in the hobby for 50+ years. The quotes above come from here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthrea ... genumber=1 He's not a fan of what the DSB "experts" have to say, because it's just plain wrong. (People like Dr Ron, Eric Borneman and others). The thread posted earlier has all the evidence under the sun showing that. Layton

meh doesn't bother me. But just reading this stuff recently it's simple, and makes more sense too me than setting up a DSB from the get go. I just found it an interesting point of view. Its even more interesting when you see the processes going on in your tank. Just some food for thought. Layton

Cool. T5's are a good option, and can be used in conjunction with halides when you move into keeping other corals. I guess the key is to minimise the equipment that becomes redundant (due to being under powered) when you want to progress to keeping other animals. This usually means starting off with a good skimmer, as it is one of the more expensive and important items. Layton

Sounds good. Flag the caulerpa, it's really not needed. I assume it's going to be a reef? What sort of lighting are you looking at. I would recommend 3 250W halides (offset, two towards the back, the centre one closer the the front). What about flow? You could go with tunze streams, or closed loop. (I prefer closed loop, a little less intrusive, but more plumbing) Layton

and:

Here are some quotes re sandbeds: Probably the best one: Not trying to "convert" anyone. It just makes you think though. There are many means to an end, but some are more logical, easier and less risky than others. If I was advising someone who is setting up a new tank, I wouldn't advise using a DSB. Layton

That's the nature of iron, what is does and how it works. It doesn't just bind phosphate. Looking at photo's of your tank, I'd say it is much more impressive than the link you posted. Just because a method seems to work, doesn't mean it's not heading for trouble. Skimmerless systems using dsb filters are just not viable for sps long term. Layton

I don't know whether to crack up, or through up after that. Layton

You mean the colour? Rowaphos Layton

That would be more difficult to say (although in this case it appears much of the tank is like that). Just like it is entirely possible that judging health by colour and growth can be misleading. Can't forget polyp extension as a measure of coral "happyness" too. Sure all those things CAN be good signs. But the also occur when a coral is not is such good shape. Same visible response, very different cause. Layton

If the rock in my tank looked like that, i'd be doing something about it. It really isn't a good sign. Layton

The processes which go on in sandbeds is well documented here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthrea ... t=Journals

Yes that is a significant covering. I'd be worried if the rock in my tank had that sort of covering. Here is another picture which illustrates it. Layton

No, the significant covering of algae on most of the rock surfaces. Layton

Just to show what I was saying earlier about the tank posted showing signs of unusually high nutrients. This photo is one of many on there which illustrate the point well: The circled area highlights the growth of algae. It indicates that the rock contains high levels of phosphate. These signs are used as indicators of wild reef health. When this happens it usually means the reef is in trouble. Layton

Calurpa only removes specific forms of phosphate. It's not going to remove everything you need it to. Explain gas exchange of phosphate? Nope. LR doesn't collect crap the same way a sandbed does. It's not paranoia, it's just what they do. It is very well documented. (also they don't need to "explode" to cause problems.) Because sand beds work. They sure do work. But they have a major flaw, which means they don't work indefinitely... and there is know way of really knowing how long they will work, could be several months, could be several years.

Yip straight back into the water... just where you don't want it. It never leaves the tank. So your increasing the bioload, which leads to one thing... more waste. Sandbeds collect crap... they are dirty by design. Sure, but that only lasts for so long. They are good at doing what they do... storing nutrients. Once they are full, it's back into the tank. Why not remove the crap before it breaks down and causes problems? Layton

There is still no escaping the fact that sand beds and mud just cycle phosphorous (and other compounds). They can't get rid of them. They accumulate detritus and once full (which can take months to years, depending on particle size and physical size of the bed) they release it all back into the water. Algae only uses specific, and relatively small amounts of of the crap that accumulates. Physical removal of detritus by syphoning or skimmer is the only way to get crap out. Here is some food for though: Why connect an inherently dirty system (sand / mud bed) to a system which you are trying to keep clean (a sps display tank)? Seems counter productive. Layton

I see signs of high nutrients in most of those pictures, which are bound to cause problems at some point. It does not look like a healthy reef at all. Layton

I haven't come across any. Got any links? Layton