Fay Posted June 26, 2006 Report Share Posted June 26, 2006 Never mind spare cash any cash would be nice :-? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Layton if you are looking to improve your colour look at what cracker and Alois do they both have great colour. Sand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted June 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 I'm just looking to reduce maintenance really. Putting sand back in would just increase the maintenance. :lol: Plus, i never really aquascaped after I moved the tank a year ago. Just sort of plonked everything back in. So it needs to be done. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Putting sand back in would just increase the maintenance. Layton Might be more to it than that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted June 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 not really, i'd have to change my flow so it didn't disturb it, and i'd have to vacuum it. To much work. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 come on Wasp, putting sand in will improve your colours. No wonder you put a smilie face after it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Well, I'm like Layton, used to use sand, then fell under Bombers influence and became a BB fan. And there's good reasons for that. BUT, after all the theorising is done, the bottom line to me is that the proof of a method is in the pudding. I used to think I had pretty good corals but starting to think again I'm seeing better over and over, in other peoples tanks with sand. Also many of the real stunning tanks we see pics of have sand, even DSB's, yet fantastic acros. There is still much to learn, IMO, about how this all ties together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 I don't think BB necessarily gives better colours, nor do I think SSB or DSB give better colour. I don't think sand, lack of or depth have any thing to do with your acro colours. Not maintaining your sand bed, or not skimming enough or having low current areas in a BB affect colours by raising nutrients. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted June 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 I agree puttputt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Agree in part, dissagree in part. I'm not really talking about colours, I'm talking about health / growth, in general. One theory is that the sand generates a lot of microscopic life, that can feed the corals. But I'm not subscribing to any particular theory, I just don't know enough to do that. I know sand can help turn a dirty tank into an even worse one, but I'm talking about well run tanks, I'm seeing great results in tanks with sand. Why? Don't know. But I'd like to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 yuck imo! nice colours, but in terms of layout in my bottom 5! i prefer a natural appearance and a more 3D look. that looks like a giant frag growout tank :lol: I agree with Chim there. YUK!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Large volume tanks with sand beds give tonnes of micrscopic life. If I sit and stare at the tank edge I can see lots of pods up againbst the tank edge. If I stir up a an area of sand the size of a bread and butter plate, my fish get a big feed. Sand is paramount in my opinion. The ecosystem alone just in the sand supports the rest of the tank. I believe the sand holds more goodies than the rock by 500%. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 When I had a ssb, i vacuumed it weekly during water changes and the crap that came out of it every week convinced me to remove it - not bombers tank, or anyone elses, just my experience on my tank. My tank is going very well, healthy growing sps, good colours, (and in less thn a year,) clean healthy vibrant fish, no nitates, unmeasureable phosphates... sand is paramount, absolutely not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted June 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 agree again puttputt Cracker, what you think of goodies, I call crap. I'm keeping corals, not critters ;-) The coral I keep don't need to feed on those bugs, they can get nitrogen from other sources, which are much more available in every tank. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Coral polyps are all over acropora and SPS. These polyps are feeding on plankton. If they only relied on zoo-ox they wouldnt need polyps as they could get all there nutrition from the Zoo-ox and the photosynthesis. Polyp corals are animals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 agree again puttputt Cracker, what you think of goodies, I call crap. I'm keeping corals, not critters ;-) The coral I keep don't need to feed on those bugs, they can get nitrogen from other sources, which are much more available in every tank. Layton I bet your corals LOVE that crap!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 so the crap coming out of a sand bed when your stir it is plankton??? You wish cracker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skippy Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Funny coloured plankton in my sand :lol: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Yip. There's plankton there. It may be temporary plankton, but its definitely plankton. The definition of plankton is a living organism floating in the current. Obviously detritus is mixed amongst it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cracker Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 How much microscopic plankton exists in the ocean. Do you really think its ONLY detritus. Think again. And I dont need to wish Puttputt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puttputt Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 its pushing the definition of plankton to include the muck stirred up in a aquariums sand bed. yes it may contain pods, worms, bacteria, but plankton of the types that sps corals can or would consume.?? the majority of corals (sps) we keep in our tanks are gain the majority (98%) of there food from the algae theykeep within and sharing of the nutrients that they produce. Don't get me wrong Cracker, i know you have a very nice tank and your way of keeping them is as good as any, but it's not the only way to keep healthy corals, fish etc, nor, as was the initial point, give better colours in sps corals than any other way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted June 27, 2006 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 its pushing the definition of plankton to include the muck stirred up in a aquariums sand bed. yes it may contain pods, worms, bacteria, but plankton of the types that sps corals can or would consume.?? There is plenty of stuff in that muck which would be considered food for many corals. Having said that there are other sources for these nutrients. the majority of corals (sps) we keep in our tanks are gain the majority (98%) of there food from the algae theykeep within and sharing of the nutrients that they produce. Pretty much, but there is a spectrum of requirements, even within genus. Having said that, its not the only source these corals have for these nutrients. Borneman is a big promoter of plankton based foods, but at the same time mentions that they can get these nutrients from other sources, including dissolved inorganic nutrients, something which is not lacking in tanks. But he never really focus on that part, jut the live food part. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Feelers Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Well after scanning through all the tanks of the month on RC since January 2004 - (30 tanks in total), none were BB. (perhaps one, hard to tell but I think it had a sand covering) About 4-5 were shallow(up to 1/2 inch), about 3 were 1/2 to 3 inches, and the rest were DSB or employed an FBF. Many possible reasons why that is, just throwing it out there. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 Hmmm.... Thirty - Nil. Interesting statistic! Could it be a blip? Or could the mathematical remoteness of a thirty - nil blip be statistically highly unlikely? ( For those who have special knowledge of statistics and mathematics ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wasp Posted June 27, 2006 Report Share Posted June 27, 2006 BTW, bacteria, in planktonic form, can be an excellent source of nutrition for SPS corals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.