Substrate depth

[reefboy]

When I set my aquarium up in January I laid an even layer of coral sand about 1" deep across the whole base. With the spray bar and circulation pumps the sand at the back of the tank has pretty much been repositioned towards the front. It seems to have settled and found a level that its not moving around any more however in places it is probably 2 - 3" deep.

Is this a problem? I quite like the look of having an uneven base but I read somewhere that it may cause toxins...nitrates etc to leach back into the system. Is this true and should I think about removing some of the sand?

 

[TexasPadreSurfer]

nahhhhhhh thats a wifes tale. i start my substrate levels at 2-3 inches and let the fish do the digging and it eventually looks uneven and iv'e never had problems. just vaccum your sand every once in a while.

 

[Navarre]

this is a question that cant really be answered fully without knowing what size the grain of sand is and what cleanup crews and micro organisms are n your tank.

Once you start going over 2" of sand then you definately increase the risk of the sand harbouring toxins. If the sand is large grain size then oxygen rich water ca travel deeper intothe sand and thus there is no problems. However if you have sugar fine sand then the water finds it longer and harder to penetrate. If you have plenty of life in the sand like pods and worms etc thenthis does help alot as they will help move the sand around. Of course, other things like gobies and sadnsifter starfish will also help with this. Just watch the sand levels, if you see gray patches in the sand then this is poor quality water and toxins are beginning to grow.

 

[Chac]

Hi RB

I originally started off with a 2 -3" sand bed, but after some reasearch and question asking I removed most of thsi and only have a round a 1/2" in places in other there is only a light dusting of sand

I would heed Navarre as DSB can be complicated thing and can be problems if not done properly

Del

 

[reefboy]

ok thanks for the replies. Each time I have a clean around I run my fingers through the sand just to loosen any algae and other stuff. Occasionally this helps release some bubbles of gas too. Doesnt seem to be a prob but will take some out if it is!