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my 29 gallon

E

ericcroker

just want to get a few ideas and share where think i want to go with my reef i had a problem on Saturday that i posted in the general area http://www.njreefers.org/joomla/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=26&topic=8465.0i now need to re aquascape the tank i am thinking about taking the sand which is very dirty out (i received it from a person i bought rock from)and putting new sand down then refilling the tank. I never finished my refugium for it and only had a hob filter on it to help clean the sand originally. Would a 15 tall underneath with a 6 inch sand bed and cheato be a good idea? should i get rid of this dirty sand or mix some into the new substrate? I have also used my well water to top off often think this might cause problems as well (although when i test it i get negative reading on nitrates and phosphates)but i will stop and use on ro/di water. any ideas are welcome.
thanks
eric croker
 
Hawkeye

Hawkeye

i'd get rid of the sand...unless it has fauna in there that you want to keep (like amphipods/worms/micro stars). Most people do not have that kind of fauna unless your sand is more the crushed coral kind...

Anyways - for the size tank - (15 gallons or even the 29) - I'd only put enough sand in for aesthetics. If you are trying to achieve a DSB - the issue you'll face is that in the long run without an adequate fauna to keep the bed "clean" - it will end up becoming a big nutrient sink. This means every couple years you'll have to "clean" out the sandbed...in my opinion.

I'm not the expert on DSB - but I'm pretty sure if you ask Dr. Ron Shimek whether a DSB can be achieved in a 15 or 29 gallon tank - I'm leaning toward his response being no...because the diversity of fauna needed to keep the sandbed turned cannot be sustained...or something to that effect. If the DSB is simply there to help introduce anaerobic bacteria - it will succeed but in the long run may run into complications because of the insufficient size of the tank.

Dr. Ron can be reached on the forum boards at marinedepot.com. Just be warned - he can be less than patient with people who don't bother reading his articles/books before asking him questions... ::)

oh and welcome to njrc and sorry to hear about the anemone....
 
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ericcroker

thanks phil yeah the anemone situation kinda sucked. i was acually thinking about the dsb being in the refugium below with the 29 being the main tank. yeah in the main tank i only use about 1 to 2 inchs but i think this sand i got was to mucked up probably should have started fresh on that but figured sand sifters could clean it. will order new sand and start fresh any suggestions on substrate type anyone.
thanks
eric croker
 
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