study favors deep coarse sandbed

[shanekennedy]

Overall death rates were roughly twice as high in aquaria with shallow sediments as in deep sediment treatments. The highest overall death rates were seen in aquaria with shallow coarse sediments over a plenum, and the lowest death rates occurred in aquaria with a sandbed composed of deep coarse sediments. The treatments that were closest to the design aquarists employ for deep sandbed, Miracle Mud and Jaubert plenum aquaria had intermediate death rates. The shallow coarse sediment design that is closest to that used in Berlin systems had one of the highest death rates, and the deep coarse sediment design for which there is currently no accepted name had the lowest overall mortality (Fig. 10). We did not test bare bottom tanks, but the data clearly suggest that the shallower the sediment, the higher the mortality rate, and you can't get much shallower than a bare bottom tank!

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/2005/7/aafeature

[Jocko]

Uh... thanks for the info. Not quite sure what it has to do with TBS though.

[shanekennedy]

Originally posted by Jocko
Uh... thanks for the info. Not quite sure what it has to do with TBS though.

TBS live sand is coarse sand. many have criticized coarse sand with the argument that fine sand is more benefitial.

[Jocko]

Ah ok. I guess I was thrown off by the bare bottom tank comment.

Do most companies that sell live sand sell fine sand?

[willember]

Did you read the whole thing?

"Our results suggest that stocking level of the aquarium, and any animal deaths, have a much greater effect on the overall water quality than the specific design of the aquarium set-up you chose to follow."


" there is no measurable difference between most of these common sediment filtration designs for maintaining suitable water parameters. There were no significant differences among depth, particle size or plenum treatments for the processing of ammonia or nitrite in recirculating aquarium systems. Deep, fine sediments had the lowest average final concentration of nitrate in these trials, but these values were not significantly less than the average final concentration of nitrate in shallow, coarse sediment treatments."