Re: Sand
timbo2 said:
OK, I read that stuff too, and I do agree that there are creatures that like the silty stuff, I just choose not to have it if I can help it...I quess I didn't really clarify...I like seeing the graininess of the sand on the bottom..It is funny though when reading stuff on this topic...There seems to be more that say don't wash the sand than do and it does get confusing without clarification, especially for the person who has never owned a marine aquarium before...
If the only reason to lose the silt is the look...keep it, it will settle to the bottom. Larger particles will come to the top.
I also, know that there is a lot of info on how deep to have your sand bed also, but, isn't it true that if you have it too deep, and don't have the adequate amout of sand stirring creatures, it could release toxic amounts of gasses in the water thus killing all of the fish and inverts?
First the toxic gas is hydrogen sulfide, and if you can stand to be in the same room as the tank, it has not reached toxic levels in the aquarium.
ALL DSBs will develop areas with hydrogen sulfide, it does form in anoxic zones, which are necessary for the proper functioning of the DSB, the sand in the upper layers is the only sand that is stirred enough for oxygenation. As far as the depth, for a DSB to function most efficiently it should be 4-6 inches, that does not mean a sandbed of 3" won't work also, it just won't function as efficiently. The largest byproduct of no fauna will be sandbed clumping. The bacteria that are on the grains of sand produce an enzyme that works to glue the sand together, the sand bed fauna prevent clumping and therefore they make the DSB work. Sand bed faunas other job is to eat detritus and maintain the sandbed. They are excellent detrivores, the reason they are necessary is because they don't turn the sand too much. Common sense tells us we could stir the sand to keep it from clumping, but that would introduce too much oygen into the sand bed and prevent denitrifying bacteria from colonizing the lower levels of the sand bed.
The silt that lies on the bottom of the aquarium promotes this anaerobic bacteria because of the lack of oxygen in the SB causing the high levels of toxicity. I read Ronald L. Shimek, Phd's page also, and what I don't uderstand is he goes against 85% of the population on DSB?
Dr Ron is the preminent authority on sandbeds. He is the pioneering force behind the DSB, and to my knowledge, the rest of the aquarium community follows his lead on DSBs. That is not to say that there aren't those that do not agree with the DSB, but simple fact is, they work.
He obviously doesn't keep fish...Seems only reef systems..
These are not mutually exclusive, a reef with out fish is like pie without the filling.
Everything I read about keeping fish states to watch out for the gases and such, and to keep animals such as sifting stars and gobies, so what gives?
If your desire is not to keep a DSB, then sifting stars and gobies are one option to keep your sand clean of detritus and oxygenated to prevent hydrogen sulfide. If you are keeping a DSB, they will spell certain doom for your sandbed.
So we should make a sand bed and the tiny orgs will do everything?
That's the ticket with a DSB, but remember, not everyone uses a DSB.
I don't know, sounds like the LFS should stop selling sand digging creatures altogether...
I couldn't agree more! Most starve slowly after wiping out all the sand fauna. I have seen some luck with placing food into the sand bed.
I hope this clears up any questions, as noted earlier, it is just opinion, but it is opinion based on alot of antecdotal evidence, as well as some scientific. Do not mistake this as any type of proclamation that this is the only way to do it...there are many different roads to get to the same place. DSBs are what is popular right now, when I started, bare bottomed tanks were what was recommended, were they wrong? No, not for the information available at the time. Now there is different info available, in a few years, there will be another popular "best" method. This is an ever changing hobby, we must change with it, to provide the best homes for our fishy friends.