uneven sand beds?

[The Reefer91]

i've seen some reefs here that have there sand beds at different levels in the tank. for instance, 3-4" somewhere, while .5-1" somewhere else. is this good? i always thought that if you have sand at uneven levles problems could occur. like in the 2" inch zone, wouldn't it become anerobic? or is it the type of sand you use?

please explain it to me

[The Reefer91]

bump

[Blown 346]

Problems wont occur from a uneven sandbed, I actually prefer to have a uneven sand bed as it looks more natural. You will get anerobic zones in 2 inches of depth just as easily as if you had a 4 or 5 inch sand bed.

[funkyman]

Mine's "very" uneven / wavey. I prefer the way it looks.

[CorbetJackson50]

i second the above posts

[stgla]

Mine became uneven when the suction cup on my Seio failed and the output nozzle pointed straight down for about 8 hours. When the sandstorm cleared I had an interesting bed. It's only been up for two months so no damage done

[Fountainhead]

Boy, I hope that it won't cause problems. My diamond goby seems to have a real issue with <i>even</i> sand beds, and rearranges it daily. It varies from 3 inches to bare bottom and everything in between. I used to try to smooth it out, but I no longer bother.

That said, if I notice that a particularly deep area has been static for too long, I'll stir it up and flatten it out. But the goby usually beats me to it.

[lusenut2]

I have a damsel fish that likes to do some rearraning every now and then. If I change the way the sand is he comes behind and changes it again. Hes like a 2 year old with an attitude.

[amazingbobby]

I'm new to reef, but sure think an undulating sand bed looks cooler. I did notice that I had a small problem with detritus build up in one area that was a little low.

[krismist]

I have fish that move the sand around. So I guess uneven

[sttroyiii]

Alternating flow can help with this. You can use something like a SQWD, or I did the maxi-jet mod with a timer on two mj400's and I have a completely random flow. The sand wont get pushed in one direction too long that way.

[fish_taste_good]

my sand bed changes alot. its sort of U shaped

this is caused by my seios in the corners

[Crusty Old Shellback]

Mine is currently higher in the back so that dutris will flow to the front where it can be easly siphoned out. But I'm sure the fish/snails/crabs/water flow will have it all moved around in no time. ;)

Looks more natural that way. :D

[The Reefer91]

ok, i was afriad it wiould build up hydrogen sulfide(i think that's it) but with thing s to stir it around i guess it wouldn't matter.

thanks everyone.

fountainhead. how is your goby doing? i heard they spit sand on coral and suffacate them? or something like that.

as you can tell, my resources are linked directly to rumor :D

[trippyl]

i have a big diamond goby who chews sand all day, doesnt seem to affect my corals in the least bit. Of course, when he decides to sit on the corals, thats a different story...

[Fountainhead]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6910778#post6910778 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by The Reefer91
fountainhead. how is your goby doing? i heard they spit sand on coral and suffacate them? or something like that.

Yeah, it spits sand on everything. Basically, you can't put anything within about 4 inches of the bottom because he'll cover it with sand. He never dumps anything higher than that, though.

But I really like my Goby. It's as close as I'll get to having a real dog.