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Bedeq
01/08/2009, 09:03 AM
Had a DSB for almost 4 years, at the 3 year mark it went bad and just ruined my tank.

Setting up a new tank, going with about 2 inches in main tank.

The questions is, will I still be able to have the fauna that are normally found in a DSB in a SSB(shallow sand bed)?


Cheers

spw4949
01/08/2009, 10:00 AM
From my understanding the answer to your question is no.

WaterKeeper
01/08/2009, 10:32 AM
As far as worms and such, yes you will. The drawback is that it will not be deep enough to provide nitrate reduction.

Mike in AZ
01/08/2009, 10:54 AM
Not to hijack this thread, but if you have a remote deep sand bed in your sump / refugium will it still help? I know it sounds like a really dumb question, but I'm asking because the footprint of my sump is smaller than the footprint of my main tank, and therefore won't have as much area. I'm trying to deside if I should go with a DSB in the main tank or in the sump. The main tank is only 40 gallons so I don't really want to put a DSB in there. Sump is 20L.

WaterKeeper
01/08/2009, 11:02 AM
Darn I didn't know there was that much water in Arizona. First we have AZ Desert Rat then you Mike.:D

Limit or don't use LR in the sump and I think that should be enough area to have a remote DSB. People are using 5 gallon buckets for a RDSB so that 20 liter is about the same size.

Mike in AZ
01/08/2009, 11:08 AM
Sorry, that 20L stood for 20 gallon long tank =(

There isn't any water here in AZ! its just a rumor to get people to come live here ;) Makes fishkeeping hard, I hate having to run vodka and orange juice through an RO system just to get a few drops of water for my tank. BUT, the waste from the RO unit packs a serious punch!

Bedeq
01/08/2009, 12:32 PM
hey tom, I am still so close to going crazy about if I should put a DSB in my main, or not. Most of the tanks who win the tank of the month do not have a DSB in their main display, or have a RDSB or none at all.

Like I told you before Tom, I had about 2-4 inches of sand in my main, and about 6 inch in my sump. I never did recharge the sand though. I do have a snowflake eel that I cannot get rid of cause I love the guy. Has been with me since I started the tank!
And he likes to stir up the sand at times.
My heart tells me to make a DSB in the main, but my paranoia tells me I will regret it in a couple of years when I start having nitrate spikes I cannot control.
Tom, do you know anyone who has had a successful DSB for more than 4 years? without it ever crashing?

WaterKeeper
01/08/2009, 12:41 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14108114#post14108114 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Bedeq
Tom, do you know anyone who has had a successful DSB for more than 4 years? without it ever crashing?

Bunches of people including myself. I think the key is that people with a successful DSB re-seed it often so they have constant motion in the bed. It is a key to not having the bed go stagnant.

I had a Snowflake for years in a tank with a shallow sandbed. He'll find a cranny in the LR to hide out if he is not too large.

Bedeq
01/08/2009, 12:47 PM
thx for the reply Tom,

Do you think the eel will be a problem if I make a DSB in the main?
The sand in my current main gets moved around a lot. And when I first got him he did go crazy with the sand for a while until he made some tunnels under the rocks, then he stopped. But will that be bad if the DSB is not all even throughout the tank?

WaterKeeper
01/08/2009, 12:57 PM
You probably didn't have enough shrimp in the tank to keep him happy. They love to chow down on a $20 shrimp dinner. :D

They are not really burrowers so they don't dig around all over the place. Mainly around the rock. That is good as you really don't want a DSB to be stirred up all the time.

Bedeq
01/08/2009, 02:37 PM
I feed him shrimp every couple of weeks, until he cant eat anymore. So you're saying that if he stirs up a little of the sand next to the rock, it is ok? That is what he usually does.

If so I might opt for a DSB. I am just scared of the potential crash after a couple of years, but if you have been using one with no problems for more than 4 years, I will go for it!

How often should I recharge the sand? Since I never recharged my DSB in 4 years lol.

WaterKeeper
01/08/2009, 03:07 PM
Go for it Kev but don't forget to seed it at least annually.

Bedeq
01/08/2009, 03:23 PM
will do Tom, thanks for your help

nesto719
01/08/2009, 11:18 PM
what do you mean reseed ? do i pull some out and add more live sand?

WaterKeeper
01/08/2009, 11:21 PM
If you use a silica sand you may need to remove some. Not a lot is needed say 5%. Often with aragonite sand that much dissolves in a years time so you just add more without the need to remove any.