Sand bed thoughts

[MitchM]

Originally Posted by stephane

(I can't get rid of him he is the first fish I cycle the tank 10 years ago and It'a love story between him and me )

I know what you mean!

I prefer having a DSB because it more closely replicates the natural reef.
The problems and issues that come along with it teach me more about the limitations of our little glass boxes.

But pratically speaking, I think that a DSB reduces regular maintenance in a reef tank. I too had a Berlin style bare bottom for a few years, and my observation was that the bottom of the tank accumulated detritus and chewed up LR that needed to be vacuumed out. Vacuuming a reef tank isn't what happens in nature. The buildup beneath the rocks was out of proportion, too - WAY more detritus than chewed up rock.

If a DSB is still having detritus build-up, then perhaps the bioload in the tank is too much for the DSB to handle. Deeper isn't the solution. More surface area is. All those DSB critters have to come up for "air" sometime. Get a separate sump/refugium going with nothing but a DSB in it.

Mitch