djsurfs Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Hi, I'm curious who has what out there, and your opinions on the pros & cons and would like info about any related issues I might not be aware of. So, I'm "on the fence" and trying to weigh the benefits of each type... I'm psyching myself up to move my seahorses out of their lovely Rubbermaid tub after a full month in their temporary home. (due to tank failure) Prior to this, their tank has always had an inch or 2 of crushed shell/sand as substrate. However,staring at the bucketfull which I am sure will be very unpleasant and putrid after sitting there stewing for a month, I'm not exactly looking forward to washing & recycling it as I've done so before; I am wondering if I might not be better off going with a bare-bottomed tank this time around. I have kinda gotten used to the bare bottom in their tub and it has seemed so much easier to see exactly where & how much gunk is accumulating, and to clean it up. With the liverock, macro, seahorses, cleanup crew and canister filter & chiller running, all my basic water parameters have been testing the same as normal. Whaddya think? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Its all here: http://www.fnzas.org.nz/fishroom/substr ... 26298.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djsurfs Posted January 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Thanks Conch! I'm still reading page 1.... Keep in mind, in contrast to many of the reefy types, my SH tank has very low flow, like 4X....I was shocked at the amount of black goo & detritus, especially from areas beneath LR, when I was scooping the sand from the broken tank! oh! and all the bristleworms & other various sorts!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tHEcONCH Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 Yea, I guess with minimal flow most waste will precipitate to the bottom quite easily, rather than be carried to a filter/skimmer. Maybe you could just go for a thin layer that you can vacuum easily? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lf Posted January 11, 2008 Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 How are your babies going. I see they are still in their temporary home. A new tank must be on the way soon I hope. I have often thought about bare bottom, but have kept the shallow coral sand and do the vac. Would love to know how it goes if you go ahead with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djsurfs Posted January 11, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 11, 2008 hey lf, I sent ya pm so we can have a proper chat sometime I only have a million Q's for ya like, how long have you had SH's?... Mine are still fine in the tub but not there for too much longer and yep, will definitely keep ya posted1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seahorsemad Posted January 12, 2008 Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 Have done both in my seahorse tank. I think that a deep bed is a bad idea with seahorses (this is from experience) I had a bad tank crash and lost a few horses with a deep bed many years ago. There is so much wasted food with seahorses as they are slow eaters and with that sitting on the bottom of the tank and a small amount of flow it really becomes a problem. I know most people have a clean up crew, but even with the crew it does sit around for a long time. Personally i didnt like the look of a bare bottom tank, but it did make it easier to clean the tank and see what food has been eaten when i used it. At the moment i have a very thin layer of coral sand on the bottom of my tank, it just covers the bottom of the tank. I am finding that to be much easier to look after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djsurfs Posted January 12, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2008 thanks for that input SHmad; ya, I was blown away by how much gunk accumulated after 2 years in that tank, even with my regular vacuuming & cleaning! I am going to try the BB and if we really don't like the totally bare, can add a thin layer of new sand later... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slappers Posted January 13, 2008 Report Share Posted January 13, 2008 i have been running BB for about 5 months now didnt like it at first but i do now Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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