[tendar]

I have done the deep sand bed in the 2 tanks and dont like giving up the space or look.
So I am thinking on my new tank of doing only like 1-2" in display and having a 6" sand be in the sump plus calurpa no skimmer (I am hooked on the no skimmer tanks love teh 37 I have with out one) or would I be better off using a skimmer also with out the sand bed in display. The tank would be 100 gallons or so 48x24x20 and have a large sump in the 40-50 gall range.
Would this work at keeping eliminating the nitrates with this big of a sump filled with sand and would it just plain work.

[Bughead]

I don't see any reason why your plan wouldn't work. I don't use a skimmer in either of my tanks, and the 55 reef has 0-5ppm nitrates. I have a DSB in the display tank, but also sand and caulerpa in the sump. Seems to me you'll be OK with the DSB in the sump with roughly half the area of the display.