Observation

[Buccaneer]

I did have some nuissance algae issues with my old 300G inwall tank which had a 2 to 4 inch sandbed and a 6 inch DSB in the sump

Steve Weast's monster tank on RC has a very shallow ( 1 to 1 1/2 inch sandbed ) up front and no sand under the rockwork as Brad has suggested ... this still gives the aesthetic look of a sandbed without the trouble of a DSB ( he siphons it regularly though )

I am currently running without a sandbed myself after the move but do have plans to put in a VSSB up front ( very shallow sand bed ) when I have built the new tank.