DSB depth (undulations in sand)

[Snorkelboy]

Hi all.

From reading various posts on here there seems to be a reasonable
consensus that DSBs should be 4 inches deep (more if possible, but if
I did more than 4 I'd end up with more DSB than water).

Have put a fair bit of sand in already-- 2-3 inches front of tank and
about 4-5 inches.

I'm planning to put more in - but it struck me that there are quite
significant undulations in the sand. For example, along the front of
the tank the depth varies from just under 2 inches to just over 3.
Obviously I need more, but will ending up with an average of 4 be OK -
or do I need to set it up so the minimum depth at the bottom of
"valleys" in the sand is 4"?

Thanks for any advice

[Marc Levenson]

Just aim for an average 4" in your tank. If you have low spots, you can level
it out, but your fish, crabs, powerheads, etc will all help reshape your DSB for
you to some degree.

Don't overthink this too much, it's just a hobby. :)

Marc


Snorkelboy wrote:

> Hi all.
>
> From reading various posts on here there seems to be a reasonable
> consensus that DSBs should be 4 inches deep (more if possible, but if
> I did more than 4 I'd end up with more DSB than water).
>
> Have put a fair bit of sand in already-- 2-3 inches front of tank and
> about 4-5 inches.
>
> I'm planning to put more in - but it struck me that there are quite
> significant undulations in the sand. For example, along the front of
> the tank the depth varies from just under 2 inches to just over 3.
> Obviously I need more, but will ending up with an average of 4 be OK -
> or do I need to set it up so the minimum depth at the bottom of
> "valleys" in the sand is 4"?
>
> Thanks for any advice

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com

[Thomas Bishop]

"Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
> Don't overthink this too much, it's just a hobby. :)

That's profound and very true to almost every aspect of this hobby.

[Lone6Wolfpack]

Isnt their a way to do this without 4 inches of sand? i have been
successful with a wet dry filter using bio balls, with about 3/4 inch
crushed coral with about 1/4 cup live sand sprinkled over fresh purchased
live rock and the crushed coral, also about a 1/4 cup inside my internal
tank siphon box, a 1/4 inch inside my external siphon box, and scanty
spatterings spread along the sump, i will ad slightly more(about 1/16 inch
total) and stuffed the rest of my internal overflow box with live plant and
added some live plant in my external overflow box as well but not enough
light there to have very extensive plant growth in there. Walls started
crawling with micro sized bugs, tank created hundreds of snails, cyano
bacteria kicked in in minor amounts, red carpet, browns, greens, all the
assumed bad(which is actually good as long as its only a pre-environment
condition), then viola, instant ocean. started feeding phytoplankton
regularly everyother day, strontium molybendum twice week, coral acell,
trace elements, etc... all with only 80 watts NO. since upped to !^) watts
NO 1-10k, 2-50/50s, + full actinic, system was booming.
snails and numerous spawned starfish cleaned house, live sand spread its
bacteria and worms and they casted their nets, cyanobacteria and other
greens and browns provided alot of the necessary nutrients, once bacterias
were systematically solved by the tanks own evolution, it began to build up
its own immuities and bacterias that fed off of each perspective parasite,
thus creating a rock solid ecosystem that will have all the necessary
ingredients in combatting any introduced problematic alien species and
controlling its own health. after that, i started had a bout with hair
algae problem due to the first 2 bulbs being about 7 yrs old or so, and the
fact of using tap well high mineral water, which i still use, but after
rectifying that problem, i am now in the process of removing bio balls and
watching nitrates which are at about 2.5ppm Ph8.4 calcium??? added daily,
and watching numerous tube woprms cast their fishing nets, purple, aqua and
other hues of starfish crawling all around, snails the size of eraserheads
cleaning up at night when lights off, watching minor corals grow from the
purchased bare live rock that are spreading, had a piece of bubble algae
that is being combatted, have hundreds of Flourescent pink and Fouurescent
ourange tube worms being born everywhere, purple feather dusters, all about
teh size of eraserhead, clams or ? developing, saw 2 so far, barnacles
galore on the back wall and on certain rocks, , there is also some other
type of tube worms that take use substrate and pre calcium that ends up
being white and shadeds of brown which has two long tentacles that protrude
out inches, hordes of purple-lavender calcium growth on rocks and a whole
lot of pink calcium stuff forming on rocks, some on filter parts, hella hot
pink sponge fields and areas, only 2 aptasia so far luckily, and thats
because of the dang fish store i buy from, and there are MANY rocks covered
with maybe soft coral? that looks like feather dusters but its tube
protrudes well out from rock, it rarely retracts itself where dusters do
regularly, and it looks like the bigger it gets, the whiter the fine hair
tips look on its brownish body, grows in many numbers, maybe about 40 to a
clump taking over a whole rock area. assuming its soft corals. Crushed
coral on bottom also had a fewe sponges and couple wierd green jelly urchin
anenome looking things, starfish, tube worms, and substrate worms in it.

Not familiar with any species names yet as i as more fascinated in
recreating the ocean than i am in fixing my water up all quick so i can buy
coral. I have not yet to date purchased a coral, all spawn themselves in my
tank. only thin i buy and have bought is live sand, live rock mostly bare
looking, plants and fish. I let the rest grow from the spores on the rocks
which travel around my tank and find their way.

All this was accomplished with 3/4 inch of crushed coral for the record, but
with bio balls. once the rocks have growth, the bio balls come out, which i
would supplement with extra filtering power by adding live sand and plants
to filter boxes to supplement filtering.


I just changed out to about 3/4 inch DSB and debating wether i want to add
more, dont want to now because the bottom looks so good and already have
softcoral growth on bottom. man, my nitrate is 2.5ppm, have mercy on me, do
i really have to add more? still have the other half of the bio balls to
pull out, will keep you updated.

WolfHedd






"Thomas Bishop" > wrote in message
.. .
> "Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
> > Don't overthink this too much, it's just a hobby. :)
>
> That's profound and very true to almost every aspect of this hobby.
>
>

[Marc Levenson]

Wolf,

I don't know if others will read your message, as you write in block form
without the use of spacing, paragraphing, nor capitalization.

However, in answer to your question, I wouldn't change a thing in your tank if
you are successful.

Marc


Lone6Wolfpack wrote:

> Isnt their a way to do this without 4 inches of sand? i have been
> successful with a wet dry filter using bio balls, with about 3/4 inch
> crushed coral with about 1/4 cup live sand sprinkled over fresh purchased
> live rock and the crushed coral, also about a 1/4 cup inside my internal
> tank siphon box, a 1/4 inch inside my external siphon box, and scanty
> spatterings spread along the sump, i will ad slightly more(about 1/16 inch
> total) and stuffed the rest of my internal overflow box with live plant and
> added some live plant in my external overflow box as well but not enough
> light there to have very extensive plant growth in there. Walls started
> crawling with micro sized bugs, tank created hundreds of snails, cyano
> bacteria kicked in in minor amounts, red carpet, browns, greens, all the
> assumed bad(which is actually good as long as its only a pre-environment
> condition), then viola, instant ocean. started feeding phytoplankton
> regularly everyother day, strontium molybendum twice week, coral acell,
> trace elements, etc... all with only 80 watts NO. since upped to !^) watts
> NO 1-10k, 2-50/50s, + full actinic, system was booming.
> snails and numerous spawned starfish cleaned house, live sand spread its
> bacteria and worms and they casted their nets, cyanobacteria and other
> greens and browns provided alot of the necessary nutrients, once bacterias
> were systematically solved by the tanks own evolution, it began to build up
> its own immuities and bacterias that fed off of each perspective parasite,
> thus creating a rock solid ecosystem that will have all the necessary
> ingredients in combatting any introduced problematic alien species and
> controlling its own health. after that, i started had a bout with hair
> algae problem due to the first 2 bulbs being about 7 yrs old or so, and the
> fact of using tap well high mineral water, which i still use, but after
> rectifying that problem, i am now in the process of removing bio balls and
> watching nitrates which are at about 2.5ppm Ph8.4 calcium??? added daily,
> and watching numerous tube woprms cast their fishing nets, purple, aqua and
> other hues of starfish crawling all around, snails the size of eraserheads
> cleaning up at night when lights off, watching minor corals grow from the
> purchased bare live rock that are spreading, had a piece of bubble algae
> that is being combatted, have hundreds of Flourescent pink and Fouurescent
> ourange tube worms being born everywhere, purple feather dusters, all about
> teh size of eraserhead, clams or ? developing, saw 2 so far, barnacles
> galore on the back wall and on certain rocks, , there is also some other
> type of tube worms that take use substrate and pre calcium that ends up
> being white and shadeds of brown which has two long tentacles that protrude
> out inches, hordes of purple-lavender calcium growth on rocks and a whole
> lot of pink calcium stuff forming on rocks, some on filter parts, hella hot
> pink sponge fields and areas, only 2 aptasia so far luckily, and thats
> because of the dang fish store i buy from, and there are MANY rocks covered
> with maybe soft coral? that looks like feather dusters but its tube
> protrudes well out from rock, it rarely retracts itself where dusters do
> regularly, and it looks like the bigger it gets, the whiter the fine hair
> tips look on its brownish body, grows in many numbers, maybe about 40 to a
> clump taking over a whole rock area. assuming its soft corals. Crushed
> coral on bottom also had a fewe sponges and couple wierd green jelly urchin
> anenome looking things, starfish, tube worms, and substrate worms in it.
>
> Not familiar with any species names yet as i as more fascinated in
> recreating the ocean than i am in fixing my water up all quick so i can buy
> coral. I have not yet to date purchased a coral, all spawn themselves in my
> tank. only thin i buy and have bought is live sand, live rock mostly bare
> looking, plants and fish. I let the rest grow from the spores on the rocks
> which travel around my tank and find their way.
>
> All this was accomplished with 3/4 inch of crushed coral for the record, but
> with bio balls. once the rocks have growth, the bio balls come out, which i
> would supplement with extra filtering power by adding live sand and plants
> to filter boxes to supplement filtering.
>
> I just changed out to about 3/4 inch DSB and debating wether i want to add
> more, dont want to now because the bottom looks so good and already have
> softcoral growth on bottom. man, my nitrate is 2.5ppm, have mercy on me, do
> i really have to add more? still have the other half of the bio balls to
> pull out, will keep you updated.
>
> WolfHedd
>
> "Thomas Bishop" > wrote in message
> .. .
> > "Marc Levenson" > wrote in message
> > > Don't overthink this too much, it's just a hobby. :)
> >
> > That's profound and very true to almost every aspect of this hobby.
> >
> >

--
Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html
Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com
Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com