Deep Sand Bed in short tank !! ??

[GLD]

In my excitement to establish a deep sand bed (once a geologist, always a geologist), I forgot to consider that my main tank is short and wide, not tall and narrow. My tank is 18" wide x 36" long x 22" tall.

To benefit from a DSB, do I really have to have 6" of sand? would 5" be sufficient?? how about 4"??

My sand mix is per Scott Passe's recipe #1 60%/30%/10%. I am building a sump to mimic the Ecosystem filter, and plan to have soft corals, live rock, some fish, lots of bottom critters and eventually some hard corals in the main tank.

In short, how thin can I go with my sand and still have a DSB?

Thanks

[Ninong]

Originally posted by GLD

In short, how thin can I go with my sand and still have a DSB?


Four inches.

Ninong

[mastaJ]

Another option would be to have the DSB in the sump or ecosystem filter. Just food for thought

[organicreefer]

technically ,as ninong said,4" is generally the reccomended minimum for a dsb,but i wanted to mention that denitryfication will occur in as little as an inch or two of sand.