200g bb starboard tank any suggestions

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eng55

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jun 5, 2005
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Ames, IA Iowa State University
I was just wondering if anyone here has ever kept a barebottom reef tank. I am thinking about doing one on my 200g that I am setting up. Instead of just having bare glass though I am gonna lay down a piece of starboard. I have done quite a bit of research on there but would like to get a few more opinions before I dive into this. I know that you need more flow in a bb tank and also it is advised to put some pvc racks under your rock. I thought about doing this and then running a power head through them for an internal closed loop. I would appreciate it if someone could maybe post some pics that I could check out.
Thanks
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We use to do bare bottom reef tanks years ago but have learned that there are better options not to mention better looking.

Every reef tank I own or maintain has a thick oolitic sand bed with wild collected live sand added to it. THe ocean floor plays a major roll in processing the water, the same will happen in your aquarium if done correctly.

THis is a huge topic to cover. Bob gomans has a book that covers the subject of live sand and plenums. It would be very usefull in better understanding the ins and out's of a reef tank's substrate and what it can do for you. THe book is called live sand secretes, it's only like $10.00 or so. I highly suggest it. Also go to reef central and ask around, you'll get tons of imput there.

Joel
 
Ya I am a member of reef central also. I have just been thinking of trying out a bb tank for something diffferent. I am sick of high nitrates that cause cyano and hair algage.
 
If your having problems with high nitrates / phosfates/ cyano & hair algae, it is not because of a sand bottom. A properly done live sand bottom helps reduce nitrates. There are many reasons that could cause these problems that can be corrected pretty easily.

THere are so many possible causes be it human error, equipment failure or improper use of equipment that it would be tough to cover all of them here.

Are you using a wet / dry by chance for your main filter?

Joel
 
I've had my 120 gallon reef set up with a bare bottom for 10 years and have never had a problem. As long as you have a great skimmer, quality live rock and proper lighting your corals and other reef critters will flourish... Keep it simple
 
I agree it can be done but the bare bottom & overly efficient skimmer is old school. I did my reef tanks that way too many years ago, I also used under gravel filter years ago. Did these methodes work? Yes Do the newer methods work better? Yes again. Most likley 10 years from now another better method will evolve.

My point is that although the bare bottom with a big skimmer can work, the more natural methods are better and if a person attempting to do the natural method is having problems with it, it is because they have done something wrong or don't understand something about it.

I'm not saying "don't do it, it dosn't work" , I'm saying you can do it better.
 
ive always been a fan of sand beds in reef tanks, but i have read a lot of conflicting ideas on the subject recently - some people think that sand beds just trap detirus, food, etc. and does more harm then good -- i like deep sand beds for their biological benefits as well as an aesthetic point of view (bare bottom reefs just dont look right IMO)

in some cases - deep sand beds are being utilized in the sump/refuge instead of the main display tank - they keep the main tank BB and utilize a great deal of water flow to keep all particles from settling on the bottom so that they will be skimmed out -- again IMO i like the look of sand beds as well as the benefits of natural filtration -- it is amazing the advances in natural filtration in the marine/reef hobby - some believe that protien skimmers will be obsolete in a few more years
 
The tank is coming along great. I rearranged the rock work yesterday. I set up so that the middle is all open so the fish will have a lot more swimming room. Havent dabbled into any corals yet and dont I will for a while. Right now for fish I have a picasso trigger, a foxface, a yellow tang, blue hippo, two tomato clowns, two false percs, a couple of bangaiis, a bicolor blennie. Also got some a couple of pink tip anemones in there in which the tomatos are living in. Just got a cleaner shrimp the other day. I love him. Whenever I put my hand in the tank to work on something, he is right there to give my hand a good cleaning. Also bought an orange chocolate chip starfish the other day. I am still debating on whether to go starboard on the 200g or not. I also like the look of a sandbed. I was just debating because I thought it might have been cheaper to go starboard. I was wondering though, if I decided to go with a dsb could I just get some non-live sand and seed it with the sand I have in my tnak right now. I am kind of at a stand still right now on setting up the 200g because of a decrease in cash flow. But hope to have it up and running a few weeks after new years. I was thinking about getting a berlin xl protein skimmer for this tank. Does anyone here think this would be a sufficient skimmer for my tank or should I go with something bigger. I know that everyone will say to get a euroreef or asm, but hey I cant really afford something of that expense right now. Well that is how the tank is going, sorry kind of rambled on for a while there.
Here are a few pics of the tank after the rearrangement.
Later
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