Sand bed, Pros and Cons

[Funky_Fish14]

Question to everyone: Isnt our goal to replicate the natural conditions these animals live in as best as possible? I think mine is. I even put a sand bed in my coral propagation tank....though its only half an inch, its still there. It does help with bio-filtration, and I think it presents a more natural environment for everything in the tank. Also, it slowly re-leases calcium into the water which helps coral growth. I also think that what shadowboy said about the psycological well being of fish. Sure, your fish are doing fine without sand beds and eating off the bottom, but how do you know what the fish thinks of that? Maybe it would prefer to eat off sand. Its kind of like replacing all your carpet and hardwood floors in your house with gravel......how many of you would like that? I think its more natural, though some may think im wrong, but I know all of my tanks will have sand-beds. Im all for conserving natural ways.

Chris