I can't belive it... I've gone barebottom!

[Delphinus]

Well it's a nice looking nano. I would think that if high current was needed in the nano that you're better off BB.

(I still won't switch my tanks though .. .. )

Originally Posted by Bob_I

so maybe [Stomatella] can be transferred.

I assure you they can. They are like any other livestock, as long as handled correctly, you can move them from tank to tank. The only caveat is, Stomatella can be predated upon, so, they may not do well if there is someone who's developed a taste for them. When I had cleaner shrimp, those little bugs decimated my Stomatella population. Silly shrimp with their little pokey probey claws.

[Richer]

Originally Posted by Fish

.

Richer,
For some reason, I havent really had any coraline growth in the 5 months that the tank has been set up. It would be awsome if I could get it to grow on the bottom. My calcium and alk levels are good.

- Chad

I've no idea how to get it going neither. My tank is the same age as yours and for quite awhile, the coraline in my tank would bleach out faster than it would grow in my tank. Now I see spots popping up everywhere and its actually growing! . As far as I know, I haven't changed anything in my tank. Hopefully someone else can tell us what in the world is going on there.

-Richer

[Fish]

Delphinus,
The higher flow was definitely a benefit; however, I was really suprised at how much "junk" was trapped by my sandbed. The tank was only 4 months old and I fed VERY sparingly (only had one damsel that I fed a tiny bit every 3 days). The sand looked clean and white but once I emptied it out, the water inside the sand was green and reeked! That has to contribute to nitrates doesn't it???

- Chad

[Fish]

Richer,
I guess I just need to apply some of that magical ingrediant:

Patience.

Cheers,
- Chad

[Delphinus]

Originally Posted by Fish

The sand looked clean and white but once I emptied it out, the water inside the sand was green and reeked! That has to contribute to nitrates doesn't it???

Ehhh ahhh ummm ... well this is the the rather pinnacle element of the whole debate isn't it. Unfortunately for the sandbed to process nitrates, it needs to have an anaerobic zone. And those are, well, putrid if you stir them up.

But without the anaerobic bateria to process the nitrates, then yes, that detritus can't help but add to the nitrates and phosphates.

For me, keeping my sandbed comes down to two things. 1) I like the look better. (Sorry.) 2) Not that I have any now, but there are some fish (and perhaps other interesting critters) who like a sandbed. When I had a fairy wrasse, he would sleep at night buried in the sand. Sometimes he would find a crevasse in the rock to sleep, but more often than not, it was the sand. .. Another example is a jawfish - also an interesting fish but requires a burrow in the sand to not feel stressed (a burrow in the rock might suffice, but it's not a "real" substitute for a burrow in the sand).

That said, some animals just make a nuisance of themselves if there's a sand bed to muck about in (Deb's trigger comes to mind).

So I guess it all comes down to circumstance! I haven't yet read any compelling evidence to convince me to throw away all my sand. The reasons for going BB seem reasonably sound, and it's that right for you then more power to you. But I still like my sand.

cheers

[Fish]

Tony,
Haha, I can respect that.
Sorry if I have the ferver of the recently converted .

Regards,
- Chad

[Fish]

Here's a shot of the tank with only the actinics on. It doesn't look as blue as this in real life but for some reason my camera white balance settings don't handle actinic too well.




- Chad