Crackers upgrade.

[cracker]

I like bare bottoms.............especially girlie ones.

[chimera]

:roll: it was only a matter of time...

[reef]

Been watching too much porn valley cracker

[cracker]

:lol:

[cracker]

Im not sure how yet, but Im gonna wish I had me an emerald crab......

[reef]

great links for you.

http://www.reefpark.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=15268

http://www.reefpark.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=14927&st=0

[Pies]

pies, approx high thick is your sandbed in ya main tank?

2-6inchs at a guess. Depending on the way the closed loops are working, the sand shifs a 'little'. Its not flat, kinda iregular. I am tempted to add another 25kg bag to the display.

In the refugium (740 litre 5 footer) there is a 6-8 inch sand bed, growing algae and all mannor of calurpa and macro algaes etc.

Pie

[lduncan]

That is correct. I do nothing to mine, it just sits there and looks pretty

That would explain the state of the rocks then.

Now I don't want people getting on my case about 'dirty tanks' 'DSB are evil' 'bomber says you tank is doomed' 'sps don't benifit from DSBs' etc. I'm not saying its how you should do it, i'm just saying it how I do it, and I am happy to do a coral comparison with anyone who disagrees.

Why do you use phosphate remover Pies?

Dirty is a relative term. Dirty for SPS, is not necessarily dirty for other corals.

[slappers]

well i have got about 6 inches of corel sand on the bottom of my tank no probs gobies love it digging tunnels under rocks making little homes for them selfs all will come to an end when new tank comes, the day of destruction

[wasp]

The worst part for me, when I pulled my DSB, was having to sell my Heteractus Malu, he was a beautiful rich colour and the clowns looked so good in it. But he would not have made it in a BB.

IMO DSB can be excellent for providing habitat for a lot of creatures, just not so good from a water quality angle.

[reef]

just not so good from a water quality angle

I am not to sure about that, It comes down to the skill of the reef keeper which systems works best,

Look at wayne shangs tank, pretty awesome tank and he does not have a problem as his acros are huge.

He has about 3-4inch sand bed.

You only see photos of the good barebottom tanks so everyone thinks it is great. But in reality there are many that are average.

[JoeBlog]

I am not to sure about that, It comes down to the skill of the reef keeper which systems works best

It certainly does depend on skill, but also the maintenance required (willing to do). If you have no problem removing portions of your sandbed every X number of years to avoid the crash, then great!! (Even better if you have that magic ball to tell you what that optimal replacement time is!! 8) ) Given that, you can certainly have a beautiful tank with any level of sand. Mind you, the shallower the sand bed, the more routine maintenance is required.

It is also a misconception that any idiot can take their sand out and run a successful barebottom tank.

[slappers]

If you have no problem removing portions of your sandbed every X number of years to avoid the crash, then great!!

are you meant to do this i never have

[lduncan]

are you meant to do this i never have

Ever had hair algae problems, cyano?

Layton

[slappers]

hair only came when first started up then went as for cyano hmmmm whats that ??? its been running for about 5 years now all good with no sump just two eheim professionel II canisters 2028 and a skimmer

[wasp]

Well that solves that issue! DSB + cannisters are in :lol:

[Pies]

Why do you use phosphate remover Pies?

To remove phosphates.

That would explain the state of the rocks then.

Excuse me? Whats wrong with my rocks?

Pie

[cracker]

Who said Coral sand needs replacing. Thats bullshit.

Sand can be rinsed and all the detritus cleaned out very easily in a batch of fresh seawater if was absolutely required.

Live sand acts exactly like LR, but on a different scale and houses slightly different organisms.

I will never replace my sand. There is no need. Just "Storm it up" every now and then is all that is required.

[JoeBlog]

Who said Coral sand needs replacing. Thats bullshit.

First of all, comments like this are not only unnecessary, but also unproductive in a public forum. I hope that you can express yourself in a more civil, educated manner so that everyone can benefit from this discussion.

Sand can be rinsed and all the detritus cleaned out very easily in a batch of fresh seawater if was absolutely required.

When I said replacement, I was mainly refering to taking out all the nutrients that have accumulated in the sand. I don't know for sure, but I would assume that the sand could be cleaned just as the rocks can be cooked to remove this buildup. At any rate, that would be a real PITA that I would hate to have to do on some sort of regular basis. You only have to cook your rocks once.

I will never replace my sand. There is no need. Just "Storm it up" every now and then is all that is required.

I am not the expert, but I believe that I've read some posts by Bomber (Dr. Marine Biology/Dr. Marine Pathobiology) and SeanT (Marine Phrenologist. Ph.D.) on RC (in one of the posts that I provided earlier) in which they have both refuted this argument. From my own experiences with BB, I would have to say that I doubt stirring has any major effect as well since I can see exactly how much detritus builds up on the bottom of the tank, and it is A LOT!!! Since I am keeping SPS, I certainly don't want any of that stuff in my tank.

[cracker]

Apologies for the bolshyness, but i think its rubbish, nothing personal against you Joe.

Each to their own I guess.

[petplanet]

I use a meat baster (hardware stores have plastic and rubber ones) to turn the sand. Over time all the fine particals settle to the bottom and the larger to the top. When you blast them it brings the small stuff to the top. Stops algae discolouring and gives everything a good feed. Great for doing the rocks to.

[JoeBlog]

Apologies for the bolshyness, but i think its rubbish, nothing personal against you Joe.

Each to their own I guess.

No worries at all Cracker.

It’s great to have differences of opinion and utilize different methodologies. This would be a pretty damn boring forum if we all did things the same. Besides, I certainly don’t have a PhD in Marine Biology or Marine whatever, so I’m learning from all other’s experiences as well.

[cracker]

Today I have started the arduous process of curing sand and rock/debris for the new sump setup.

Some was semi cured, so hopefully wont take too long.

Then again, curing 80 odd kilos of sand may take a bit..... :-?

(Half Coral sand and half 1mm Aragonite.....great mix!! Looks nice).

Running airstones and a small hang on filter to grab the crap out.

Mainly sand in the glass tank with a bit of LR.

The bucket has semi cured LR only running 1 x airstone.

Check the depth of sand in there...I will stir it up weekly during cycling.

That TEMP tank is 1200 Long by about 350mm high, Gives an idea of the amount of sand.

Had a spare flouro setup, so thought it wouldnt hurt....Running it standard photo periods.

I will add a heater tomorrow, (Got a spare), to assist with speeding up the process, then I will add a few Chromis to it. (Couple of weeks maybe).

[cracker]

NOW I have time to sort out what I'm going to sit this bloody display tank on. 2100x800mm wide may require either a custom cabinet or something made by myself....depends on time etc.....got a couple of months to think about it now whilst the above is cycling!!

[cracker]

New sump delivered and pretty much ready to go.

I have built an inlet channel, (LH side photo) that flows main inlet all the way to the far end of the tank. This channel allows additions, such as rowaphos and carbon bags when required. It also flows into a stage one chamber for skimmer number one.

100% plastic cistern valve in side for auto top off following filtration.

Now for the cabinet.......