CC and DSP??? possible?

[saltcreep1025]

Would it be possible to have a small layer of CC on the bottom and then put a thick layer of LS on top of that?

Thanks for your input!

 

[loganj]

Sure it's possible. What will happen though is that the CC will work its way to the top eventually. There is no advantage to doing it that way. The worms, copepods, and other critters you are seeking to cultivate in a DSB will not do well in CC because it's too large a grain size. Also, the large grains allow more oxygen to penetrate the sand bed which inhibits the anoxic bacteria that you're trying to grow. It's best to go with one or the other. If you have CC, you'll need to vacuum it to control detritus. Sand is a real pain to vacuum! If you go with the DSB, you'll want it to remain undisturbed except for the critters that stir it. Either way will work...it really depends on what kind of tank you want and what you want to keep in it. If you can tell us more about what you want to keep, we may be able to make some suggestions that will save money and headaches down the road.

 

[saltcreep1025]

well, i already started my tank and put a UGF and about an inch of CC in it.... but now i want to change to DSB but dont really want to deal with taking them out. So if i could just take out some of the CC and put a bunch of sand on top of it that would be nice. This is my first saltwater tank so i just want it to be FO so i can get the hang of it and then if i like it move onto coral.

Thanks again for the info =)

 

[loganj]

My suggestion would be to remove the UGF and the CC. That's just what I'd do though. I would remove the UGF at any rate. If you don't want to take it out, set it up to run reverse. This way, water is pumped down into the filter plate and back up through the substrate. It keeps the mulm from building up under the UGF plate. You'll need a powerhead that will run in reverse...I believe the Hagens are set up to do that. If you keep the CC, be sure to keep it cleaned with a gravel vac. You may find that the nitrates are difficult to control with this type setup...not impossible, just dificult. With a FO setup, nitrates are not so critical. When you start getting inverts and corals, you'll need to keep them below 10 with 0 being the target. Do you have any LR in the tank?