Moogled Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Guys, I'm starting a 33 gallon reef tank VERY soon, but the concept of substrate is still a mystery to me. Some people say that with a layer of substrate, maintenance becomes a larger hassle and a problem called "nutrient sink" may also occur. Does anyone have any stories to share as to why you did/did not get any substrate for your tank? I'm kind of torn between the two, and would like to know more about this before I make my final decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
albert_dao Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 A better question to ask is "to those who have gone bare bottom, would you ever go back?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finaddict Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 Yae looks way better .IMO And if you want to keep any gobies they need sand to sift :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midgetwaiter Posted February 13, 2006 Report Share Posted February 13, 2006 A better question to ask is "to those who have gone bare bottom, would you ever go back?" I am ashamed to say this and probably shouldn't as Albert has enough ego for a small Carribean country as it is, but no I would not. I put a little argonite on the bottom of my frogfish tank when I set it up a couple weeks ago and I already regret it. Compared to my similarly sized reef tank, it's a total PITA. Save the money and get a better skimmer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moogled Posted February 14, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 A better question to ask is "to those who have gone bare bottom, would you ever go back?" Same sh1t, different pile. Haha. I'll probably end up taking your spraypainting advice, but the fact of the matter is that reef tanks with a sand bed look a lot damn better than one that doesn't. The only mission is to filter out the pros and cons and see how much work I'm willing to do. As for midgetwaiter's comment, what was bad about adding the aragonite? Did it make the tank harder to clean? I have a normal Remora skimmer that I am planning to use on the 33, and from what Albert and many others tell me, it'll do a pretty fine job of skimming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dunl Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 I'd have to say on my next saltwater tank (looks over shoulder for possible approaching wife), I would take the advice of using some epoxy to paste some substrate to a piece of plexi, and place in the bottom of the tank. You're completely right IMO - bare bottom looks horrible, but like I said - that's my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Murminator Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 bare bottom looks horrible, but like I said - that's my opinion. I'll agree on that "I" like the look of the sand its more natural and I would think less stressful on the fish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kellehar Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 some considerations to look at is what are some of the fish you want? some are sand sifters some like to build caves which can be done with out a sand bed by adding a bunch of liverock rubble. Also how much live rock are you going to put in as part of bio filter is your substrait. which you'll have to add more l/r to meet that need. A sandbed is also a breeding ground for other positive creatures that eat the left over junk in your tank. these Are the main reasons I found when I was looking into the same things as you. But with out substrait is less work ,less mess, easy to clean . Just some thoughts for you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midgetwaiter Posted February 14, 2006 Report Share Posted February 14, 2006 kellehar pretty much hit on the big part, it is one less thing to screw around with. I had a powerhead fall and make a mess that I didn't notice right away. This caused me some problems with the leather frags in the tank. Beyond all the pro / con bit with nutrients it's just simpler to maintain , that's a big deal for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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