how many have sand in ther FOWLR tank?

[lawchan77]

I am thinking of converting my tank to FOWLR. i see many reefers prefer not to have sand bed in their tanks while others opt to have.

what are the pros and cons of having a sandbed?

thankx for your input!

[cdckjn]

sand gives a more natural look. as for a FOWLR filteration is a issue, so the sand can have beneficial properties. We need to have sufficient water flow in the tyank to prevent algae bloom, if that is what you are worried about.

[lawchan77]

having a sandbed definitely looks better. but i feel that the sand traps a lot of stuff and difficult to maintain?

[FACLAN]

so, its mean if we want it to be easy to maintain, do it without a sandbed? sorry newbie here.. so want to know more as well

[raydiative]

some fishes like wrasse and gobies require sand as their safe heaven...

some critters like pistol shrimp require sand as well..

its really up to each individual with regards to sand.. unless you plan to use DSB, that would be another story...

once you decided to go with sand, you would have to consider what grade of sand and what colour.. lol..

[lawchan77]

wats DSB?

understand it is personal preference. just want to know the pros and cons of each choice.

cos the cons may not be applicable for me but may be necessary for another.. for eg if i dont keep wrasse (only angel tank) then maybe not having sand will not be as important?

so I thought the more experienced reefers can list out all the pros and cons so each can make the best of our decisions.

[raydiative]

DSB - Deep Sand Bed..

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/deepsandbeds.htm

For me.. i go with sandbed

Pros..

- More natural

- I can put certain corals on sandbed ( should you decide to go into a reef tank)

- if i go bare bottom and decide to add sand in the future.. it will be one huge mess

- Will not see the detrius build up on the glass... On sand, it is less obvious

Cons

- Unable to direct flow onto sand to clear detritus. If wave maker is too strong, the sand may be blown around..

HTH

Ray

[DUCADOS]

Depend wat u wanna keep also. Creature like sand star or sea cucumber required sand too.

They act as cushion as well imagine your live rocks fall.(if didn't stack properly)

Your tank sure kana big time.

[lawchan77]

ya.. thats sounds logical.

[DUCADOS]

ya.. thats sounds logical.

Ya lo. I got friend having a 5x2.5x2.5

Then suddenly 1 night dunno y his house high tide lol.

[Ketchup]

If you are going for FOWLR tank, i don't think you shd have DSB.

[lawchan77]

i'm intending to keep angels, butterfly and (not confirmed) sps.

please recommend if i should have sand bed?

an important factor is also easy maintenance.

whats the recommended tank size for 20 fishes?

[comycus]

1. your fishes may nip at your sps.

2. I say go with sandbed. Think many bros have already answered to your query with opposing views. It's up to you to decide whether you want sandbed or not. I don't find any problems with maintaining sandbed as long as tank parameters are good.

3. I would say you should be considering a 4 ft tank minimally with the fishes you are considering. There are plenty other considerations when setting up a tank, do read up more before you take the plunge. good luck!

[DUCADOS]

DSB or not I not sure but 1'' at least will be good. No sand will also result in slipperyness when stacking live rocks. Imagine rock on glass. Very easily move around.

Just go for it bro! No lugi wan. Hee...

[DUCADOS]

1 thing to add. With sand bed,advantage will be more than disadvantage. That's for sure... Enjoy...

[freefrag]

what are the advantages without a sand bed?

[DUCADOS]

Advantages without a sand bed is u wouldn't encounter dirt or whatsoever trap within it n if u have a strong wavemaker u can face it directly downwards to spool up those dirt to the overflow.

[big_ben102000]

i tried not putting sand before in my previous setup and had a problem with algae and stuff growing on the glass at the bottom, dont know whether any bros here has encountered this problem before. can be quite hard to clear if the tank is more than 2ft deep. i added sand to my tank after that partly due to that reason and also to have a more natural look. yes you cant point wave makers at onto the sand because you will get a sand storm. to solve that problem with algae i added gobies and sand shifter stars. unless you are planning to keep fishes that will attack the gobies and starfish, it works for me so i think it should work for you ? =p

cheers

[DUCADOS]

C... Our bro big_ben encounter problem not putting sand so eventually he also put.

Conclusion. Have sand even algae grow it's easlier to remove(put some sand mover) than no sand n algae grow on glass.

[Mun Suk]

C... Our bro big_ben encounter problem not putting sand so eventually he also put.

Conclusion. Have sand even algae grow it's easlier to remove(put some sand mover) than no sand n algae grow on glass.

In my tank, the algae grows on the coral rocks but can be easily removed with any strong current passing through them.

[pweesng]

I don't cement my LR together.. they are arranged by stacking one on top of another.

the reason for doing so, is that it will allow me to rescape anytime. I add fish in slowly, so almost everytime i add a fish, i will rescape it (either minor or major).

I thank God that i decided to have a sand bed.

1) It looks more natural.

2) Deep or shallow sand bed, it is a form of filtration to your water

3) everytime a drop a piece of rock, I am reminded on why sand bed is a good idea.

4) Live Rock have odd edges, if you don't have sand, these edges will be resting on the glass, with extra pressure added when you stack the rock on top, and pressed on the glass at a point... i don't know when it will give way. With a sand bed, the rock rest on the sand, and the pressure is spread out.

My 2 cents worth, Sand is better than no sand. Dirt on the sand can always be managed. Broken Glass Tank, will be harder to manage

[alcatraz01]

I am thinking of converting my tank to FOWLR. i see many reefers prefer not to have sand bed in their tanks while others opt to have.

what are the pros and cons of having a sandbed?

thankx for your input!

i have a 3' tank with 3" depth sand, almost 4 year old - i have a 2" fire clown and 1.5" dwarf angel.

recently a marine hobbyist bought a longnose yellow butterflyfish, which refused to eat for a week. On 22 May 2010, he then pass the longnose yellow butterflyfish to me and it is almost 2 months and it is still surviving in my 3' tank. Recently the same marine hobbyist found that his 6" blueface angelfish is bullying his newly bought angelfish. On 4 July 2010, he then pass the 6" blueface angelfish to me and it is now 1 week and it is still surviving in my 3' tank. Surprisingly the 6" blueface angelfish does not bully the 1.5" dwarf angelfish in my 3' tank. Most surprising finding was that while feeding flakes to the 6" blueface angelfish, the longnose yellow butterflyfish also eat the flakes.

[alcatraz01]

sorry insert wrong attachment

img-7091312-0001.pdf

Edited July 9, 2010 by alcatraz01

[alcatraz01]

sorry insert wrong attachment

[Ingwe]

i have a 3' tank with 3" depth sand, almost 4 year old - i have a 2" fire clown and 1.5" dwarf angel.

recently a marine hobbyist bought a longnose yellow butterflyfish, which refused to eat for a week. On 22 May 2010, he then pass the longnose yellow butterflyfish to me and it is almost 2 months and it is still surviving in my 3' tank. Recently the same marine hobbyist found that his 6" blueface angelfish is bullying his newly bought angelfish. On 4 July 2010, he then pass the 6" blueface angelfish to me and it is now 1 week and it is still surviving in my 3' tank. Surprisingly the 6" blueface angelfish does not bully the 1.5" dwarf angelfish in my 3' tank. Most surprising finding was that while feeding flakes to the 6" blueface angelfish, the longnose yellow butterflyfish also eat the flakes.

hey bro, what has that got to do with having a sand bed? It can be better water parameters among many other things too