DSB dillema! Please HELP!

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pwilk20

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jul 28, 2003
Messages
43
Location
Queens, NY
Ok, I was all set on doing a 4-5" DSB, until I read the horrors of hobbyists with DSBs. I understand that no matter what one does, the sand bed will crash in about 4 years. It will release phosphates and the algae will grow out of control 8O .

I really like the look of sand over bare bottom, this is driving me CRAZY :evil: .

Please anyone with a successful DSB respond to my post. I want it so bad, it`s the primary reason why I fell in love with SW, all the life in a DSB is very interesting to look at.

Last - I thought that having a refugium would absorb the phosphate released by the DSB? Am I wrong?

Thanks,

Paul.
 
Why not go with a shallow SB and set up a refugium? That will work fine. You will get the sandy look you want along with nitrate control.

FYI, if I had to do it over again, I would build a fuge instead of a DSB. Don't get me wrong, I love my DSB and it works wonders. But it seems that you NEVER hear of any problems with a fuge. Can't say the same for a DSB... Even though I think the majority of the problems with DSB's were not because they simply stopped working on their own, but because they were improperly setup to begin with and maintained incorrectly as well.
 
Please anyone with a successful DSB respond to my post. I want it so bad, it`s the primary reason why I fell in love with SW, all the life in a DSB is very interesting to look at.

If set up properly and periodically re-innoculated with infauna and the tank is lightly stocked for bioload, there is no reason your sandbed can't last for a very long time. Probably as long as you have that tank. 4-7 years is a very long time to go without upgrading ;)

I personally go with a shallow sandbed 1-2" and a fuge.
 
Ok, I was all set on doing a 4-5" DSB, until I read the horrors of hobbyists with DSBs. I understand that no matter what one does, the sand bed will crash in about 4 years. It will release phosphates and the algae will grow out of control .

Keep in mind that if you do a comprehensive search of various websites you will find that all methods have their own reports about tanks crashing. IMO, proper husbandry has as much to do with having a successful tank than any particular method. Also keep in mind that people's own personal agendas also get involved in various places.

If you now fear DSB's no matter what, incorporate something else....or a mixture of methods. But don't assume any one way is going to be 100% guaranteed against failure. We really don't understand enough yet.
 
I had thought about doing a large fuge with seagrass on the next tank. Maybe a 4' fuge with a divider about 4" high right in the center. That way, you could change out 1/2 of the DSB without disturbing the other half. Maybe replace 1/2 of it every 2 years or so? Any thoughts on that idea?
 
Sounds like a pretty good idea to me, provided the halves could be entirely independant of each other. So you could drop the water down below the divider and one sides water couldn't flow to the others, siphon it completely dry, remove the sand and water , replace and then raise the level back up ;)
 
After staying up half the night, I did come across a few successful long term DSBs. One is doing well for 9 years and another ran for 18 years 8O :D . Low bioload and annual recharges of the sandbed seems to be the way to go.

As of now I am 99% set on a DSB, unless someone talks me out of it by the weekend.

Paul.
 
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