Deep sand bed

[frd72]

Is deep sand bed sump/ refugium beneficial if i am already using NP-Bio pellets??
Comments and suggestions will be so much appreciated!!!

thanks,
tedy

[MitchM]

It depends on what you consider beneficial.

You could either have a display sand bed that needs to be cleaned regularly.
That way you could have any grain size you want, any depth you want and keep any animals you would like.
That kind of sand bed needs to be cleaned by you.

You could have a properly set up and functioning sand bed, intended to process any detritus that falls on it. (within limits!) A heavy bio load can overwhelm it.
That way you need specific grain size, at least 4 inches in depth, no crabs, shrimp, sandsifting gobies, sand dollars, sand sifting starfish or any other animals that sift or move sand. They will essentially eat all the bethnic infauna that keep the sand moving properly.

Either sand bed will still help with denitrification.

[frd72]

thanks for the quick response Mitch. I missed something on my question, it is going to be for my sump/refugium that i am planning to put up not for display..

thanks

Originally Posted by MitchM

It depends on what you consider beneficial.

You could either have a display sand bed that needs to be cleaned regularly.
That way you could have any grain size you want, any depth you want and keep any animals you would like.
That kind of sand bed needs to be cleaned by you.

You could have a properly set up and functioning sand bed, intended to process any detritus that falls on it. (within limits!) A heavy bio load can overwhelm it.
That way you need specific grain size, at least 4 inches in depth, no crabs, shrimp, sandsifting gobies, sand dollars, sand sifting starfish or any other animals that sift or move sand. They will essentially eat all the bethnic infauna that keep the sand moving properly.

Either sand bed will still help with denitrification.

[MitchM]

I would treat it as a display sandbed then.
Your sump is too small for a fully functional dsb.
It still will help with denitrification.

[Myka]

Personally, I don't think there is a reason to have a DSB this day and age. We have many other options available, and have learned a lot in the hobby since the days that DSB were standard. Imo, DSB are too fussy, too easy to do improperly, and may or may not crash even when it seems they are done properly.

I'm also not a fan of these Bio-Pellets. I haven't tried them myself, but it seems the success rate is 50/50 which I don't think is good enough, especially when there are alternatives that have a better success rate. Everyone's looking for a quick fix though, and this makes the Bio-Pellets an easy sell.

Denitrification should be handled by your live rock. If you're getting a build up of nitrate you need to look for the source. The source can usually be found from over-stocking (and/or over-feeding), poor maintenance (and/or insufficient skimmer), and/or poor circulation. The source of nitrate is always organic breakdown. The purpose of a protein skimmer is to remove organics before they have a chance to breakdown. The purpose of powerheads is to keep organics suspended in the water column so they make it to the skimmer. Settled detritus results in organic breakdown.

Instead of using a refugium and/or DSB (in tank or refugium) I would suggest the use of a chaeto chamber in the sump instead. Provide a large chamber in the sump, provide intense low Kelvin lighting, stock it with a ball of chaeto, add a powerhead to keep the ball rolling (literally), and keep the ball trimmed so it is always freely rolling, and this method will absorb an astounding amount of nitrate and phosphate. The catch is keeping the ball rolling. Most people don't do it right, but if done properly it is quite impressive.

There is a line where over-stocking becomes the problem. No matter how much circulation you provide, no matter how much chaeto you can grow, you just can't stay ahead of nitrate. You may not be over-stocking the tank, but you may be over-stocking the protein skimmer. Lots of fish means lots of waste. Lots of waste means you need an efficient skimmer to remove this waste. If you have done everything else I have mentioned and you still struggle, take a look at your skimmer, maybe you need a bigger (or better) skimmer to keep up to the bioload you are putting on it. Or less fish.

[xblade]

I started running bio pellets on my 77 just before christmas.My nitrate levels were not too bad, but phosphates were fairly high.( I use tap water treated with prime for top off and WC's)I had alot of HA and a cyano problem.Just checked my tank parameters a couple days ago, and my phos and nitrate are at undetectable levels.HA is only on 1 rock now and cyano is gone.(I did cut back on lighting for a couple weeks to help)
I give the pellets 2 thunbs up... so far

I just use LR rubble in my sump

[Jpeter]

so no little hermit crabs

[chevyjaxon]

dsbs are imo awesome. anerobic bacteria contained in there feeds of nitrates which is great because not only does the sand look nice, you get the extra added bonus of extra system stability. at a price that nobody can complain about. 6 years ago when I started my tank i put in an oolitic dsb. its always white and has never caused me any issues. by taking a look at how mother nature sets up her oceans and if we follow her formula making a strong stable aquarium environment is an easy process. at the end of the day there are several different opinions, not one of them is all wrong or right. its a matter of your own personal preferance for your own tank.

[chevyjaxon]

too add though it should be noted that once a dsb is placed one should not stir it much if at all, its fine to add critters to do it for you, they simply feed off the detritus however a dsb can contain toxic ammonia which will cause problems if stirred.