ok, i am almost through setting up my 120 gallon. it has a 4' by 2' footprint. i was wanting to make a deep sandbed with aragonite. i was wondering how deep it needs to be (im guessing 4-6 inches) and how many bags of aragonite will i need?
heres a link to a calculator. Just look at the total lbs of sand needed and ignore the grundge part as another article linked from some thread here did not think it was good for the sand bed. It also reccommends smaller grain size of sand. http://ronshimek.com/Deep%20Sand%20Beds.htm
A minimum of 4". However, if I was just starting my tank, I would go with 5-6". I started with a 4" DSB and it has compacted until I am ready to add some more sand.
Carmiejo is right russell. You will want a 5" depth minimum. In about a year it will be down to around 4" due to some settling but also dissolving. May I suggest you take a look at my tank thread for some pointers on DSBs? You can find it here - Amphibious' 135 gal Reef
Dick
__________________ Amphibious
Reaching my 70th BD, I realize that I cannot help but grow old. However, I refuse to grow up!!! My wife would tell you, "He may be 70 but, He's going on 17". Life is wonderful with a woman like that.
ok, i actually decided to go with a 2" sandbed. both for the price, and the looks. i have a nice fuge and sump, so i hope that i dont miss the filtration. i really appreciate the help guys. i added 5 - 25 pound bags of aragonite to the tank, and it gave it just over 2 inches of sand. i almost have the plumbing finished, and it should be done tomorrow. i have lots of pics to post
ok, i actually decided to go with a 2" sandbed. both for the price, and the looks. i have a nice fuge and sump, so i hope that i dont miss the filtration. i really appreciate the help guys. i added 5 - 25 pound bags of aragonite to the tank, and it gave it just over 2 inches of sand. i almost have the plumbing finished, and it should be done tomorrow. i have lots of pics to post
The reason for a DSB of 4" or more is to provide a deep layer of sand for anaerobic bacteria to finish the nitrogen cycle, the conversion of Nitrate to Nitrogen gas. With out anaerobic conditions that won't happen and your Nitrates will climb fueling algae growth, stress on your critters and possibly death. If you can create a DSB in the sump of at least 4", it may be large enough. A 2" depth, while pleasing to your eye and budget isn't enough to accomplish Nitrate elimination. Water changes, while beneficial for many reasons, won't do it either.
__________________ Amphibious
Reaching my 70th BD, I realize that I cannot help but grow old. However, I refuse to grow up!!! My wife would tell you, "He may be 70 but, He's going on 17". Life is wonderful with a woman like that.
as noted, there is a reason for the DSB being deep, without it you will have to employ other tactics to make sure nitrates aren't built up. you may need to employ more LR in you tank and fuge, maintain your SSB with frequent vacuuming and cleaning, cleaning off the rock to remove excess detritus.
not going with a DSB is a very viable option, just keep in mind you will haev to perform additional tasks and items to make sup for it
__________________
Show people you appreciate there advice, click the icon under there name and give them Reputation points
ok, thanks guys. i listened to your podcast on dsb's, and felt like they would be good, but when it came to looks and money, i opted for a shallow. i do have a 20 gallon fuge on the tank, what macro algae should i use to help remove as much nitrate as possible? i have looked around, and there are so many types it is going to be hard to decide without your guys' help. i know that with fw plants, there are some that really suck up nitrate, and was wondering which would help me most since i didn't opt for the dsb?
chaetomorpha is one the easiest to keep, you can also look at caulerpa, these two common types, the caulerpa does require a bit more work as you have to be more diligent in prunning it, as this is an accepted method to keep it from going sexual and fouling up your system
__________________
Show people you appreciate there advice, click the icon under there name and give them Reputation points
do i add it after fish and cycleing or should i add it now? the tank was set up 4 days ago, but i did use 25# of sand from an existing tank, so there is some debris in there.
Reaching my 70th BD, I realize that I cannot help but grow old. However, I refuse to grow up!!! My wife would tell you, "He may be 70 but, He's going on 17". Life is wonderful with a woman like that.
icon under their name to add to their reputation. 
Linear Mode
