[SPSPhreak]

Thinking of yanking DSB
Well, I have been looking at some German SPS tanks, and there are three things that really catch my eye about them.

1. They are gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous

2. They use bare bottoms, or a thin layer of crushed coral

3. They have insanely high amounts of water flow.

This brings me to my dilemna. At the present I have a 4.5 to 5 inch functioning DSB, and it is great, except for the fact that with the flow I try to give my tank, sand is always floating around which I really don't like one bit. I would actually like quite a bit more flow, but I don't want a sandstorm all the time. My sand bed is quite live, so it is not the fact that bacteria is not coating the sand, it is just the fact that southdown is to light and wispy for huge amounts of current. What I have right now in my tank is a tunze turbelle stream 6080, a genx mak4 for my return, and some powerheads on wavetimers. I would like to add some seaswirls and another tunze, but I just cannot do that with a DSB. So, to make a long story short, should I yank it and go with a very thin amount of crushed coral, or should I use the GeoMarine crushed coral as I have seen others asking about? Thanks for the input guys.

Scott

[Wrassman]

Hey Scott,

I'm not going to pretend to know the answer to your question, as it is as much aesthetic as it is functional. I believe that the final arbiter is you, and you have to make your decision based on what you actually PREFER more, and nothing more than that. I think you'll probably go with the GeoMarine; that seems to be the direction you are headed.

I have noticed what you have on the German SPS tanks. There are some truly magnificent tanks in Germany right now. Perhaps your experiment with GeoMarine will enable you to begin keeping SPS corals in this manner. I hope so.

If anyone is interested in seeing a German website and some SPS photos, look here: http://www.meerwasserforum.com/ .

Lots of cool stuff there.

[Reeffantic]

Yo Wrassman:

I went to the site you suggested and I will be damned if I could find a pictures of German reef tanks, maybe you suggest a link that would directly lead to some pictures. I tried looking around and maybe the pics were there right in front of me but, I do not read German.

[Wrassman]

Hey Reeffanatic,

I'm sorry, I should have been more specific in my link.

Try this one, it has a lot more pictures.

http://www.korallenriff.de/lexikon/

[greenbud]

Scott,

I have a DSB because my its functional.. for years my nitrates were over 15ppm but after adding my DSB they've been zero ever since. I use a Reeftec PE-2 and PE-1.. I feel I have a ton of water movement.. there is no still water in the tank.. and I don't have a sandstorm. I mean, I don't think you need a DSB to be sucessful but it certainly is a useful tool. Not only for denitrification but because the fauna's plankton feed my corals.. although this could be remedied by a refugium. FWIW

[SPSPhreak]

Well, what I am going to do is still have my DSB, but have it remote. I also think they are really functional. I am going to plumb it in after the sump, and see how that goes. It will just basically be a big refugium. Thanks for the replies, I think I am gonna go with this one. If anyone else thinks I should do otherwise, please comment.

Scott

[Reefland]

I would have a concern with putting the crushed coral in the main tank since the size of the particles will allow detritus to settle down into the bed where it can't be processed. If your doing your DSB remotely, you might consider just going bare in the display, although I don't think it looks as natural.

I don't know, I would be concerned with the CC though.

Regards,

[Papa Doug]

Scott & I have talked about this on another board. I may as well pipe in here also.

I have a question. Why do some thing a crushed coral bed traps detritius anymore so than a sandbed. I agree it does trap the crap, but so did my sandbeds. I have removed several of them and they were the worst crap holders I have ever seen. And stink.

If the detritus is in the tank, where does it go in a fine sand tank as opposed to crushed coral. I have many of the smae creatures to clean it, not to mention, that now its not a functioning filter, I can siphon the crap out if needed.

I still agree something else is needed, such as lots of rock, or a remote sand filter of some kind of even an ATS, as I employ.

Not dissing fine sand here or my fairly new GeoMarine crushed coral bed, just bringing up some questions for the sake of argument. I have not run it long enough to defend it, except in theory.

[tendar]

What is up with this new GeoMarine Crushed Coral bed deal?
Is there a link to a thread on it?

[Papa Doug]

I just used it, instead of the old type crushed coral. It has more variety and is aragonite. Its from Carib-Sea.

[tendar]

I know what the sand is
I ment is this some new deal or is this some thing you have decided to do and try out.
What is your theory for using it compared to the fine sand what benifits are you looking for other than being able to have more flow with out sand blowing all over place.

[SPSPhreak]

Well, one of my lfs's had geo-marine, so I don't have to order it, excellent. The downside is they only had one bag, and I know I am gonna need another. I will have to search other lfs's. Tendar, there is really nothing new or special about the geo-marine CC, besides the fact that like Doug said it is pure aragonite. The reasons I am yanking my DSB is just to get more flow in the tank without sand particles flying around the tank. I have just grown to detest that. It really didn't used to bother me so much, but things start to grate on me. I am still gonna use my entire DSB, I am gonna just use it remotely. I think what I am gonna do is move my refugium from my sump to my remote DSB, since I have been wanting a bigger fuge anyway. I think that DSBs are really beneficial, and am not at all trying to get rid of it, just gonna move it. Also, like Doug said, since the CC is not a filter, I don't have a problem vacuuming it when I do water changes.(ask me in about 3 months if I do )

Scott