Starting up again

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Dean Schreuder

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Hi all , looking to start up my 170l shallow tank again. Looking to get play sand to add in the sump as a DSB (Playsand) together with a skimmer and filter floss. Would T5 lighting be sufficient for frags that I would eventually introduce.
How long would the DSB take to establish by adding bacteria also would I need to add fish food or prawn meat to kick start the cycle. Want to get this tank on point this time round.
 
Dexter said:
DSB not so popular anymore. But if you need help @RiaanP is your go to guy. His a guru on DSB's
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What would you recommend in the sump then in place of a DSB. There is a inlet chamber where the skimmer will go a filter section, then a large area where a DSB could go over flowing to the return section.
 
People tend to use refugiums now. Stick some macro algae in there and a light and you sorted.
 
Welcome back.

I agree with Dexter, DSB are not the flavour of the month anymore.

I would go with a refugium as he mentioned, or look into algae scrubbers. I used one with great success in the past.

T5's will be more than sufficient for corals, just make sure to buy quality bulbs and ensure that the unit you buy have good reflectors.

Alternatively look in the for sale section, there are a couple of nice LED units currently for sale that could work well for your depending on the dimensions of your tank.
 
Dexter said:
People tend to use refugiums now. Stick some macro algae in there and a light and you sorted.
Click to expand...

Henkie said:
Welcome back.

I agree with Dexter, DSB are not the flavour of the month anymore.

I would go with a refugium as he mentioned, or look into algae scrubbers. I used one with great success in the past.

T5's will be more than sufficient for corals, just make sure to buy quality bulbs and ensure that the unit you buy have good reflectors.

Alternatively look in the for sale section, there are a couple of nice LED units currently for sale that could work well for your depending on the dimensions of your tank.
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Awesome thanks Guys, Will clean out the tank tonight. what would one use to accumulate beneficial bacteria? Live rock/ base rock?
What would you recommend going in the Sump besides the filter floss, Macro Algae ( Will need to find some of this) and the Skimmer?
Believe Bioballs etc is a no go these days and it becomes a Nitrate factory.

I have got some 54w T5 units, will just need to change out the Bulbs.
 
I used a DSB with a refugium combined. But for that you do need a rather deep sump, so the DSB itself at 150mm and leaving enough water space above for the refugium, at least 250nn water depth above the sand.
The problem with that is that most skimmers are not designed to stand in water that deep. Need to use a stand of some sorts which might lead to clearance issues trying to remove the skimmer cup for cleaning.
Found a truly remote DSB to work far better. But then again not everybody got extra fishroom space available behind the tank.

DSB takes a bit of time to start up. biggest problem I found that guys have with their DSB is that they lack water flow across the sump. Meaning their return pump is too slow and or their overflow cannot handle more water. This you can see by checking the water depth between last divider actual glass top edge and the water level as it goes over. That is what is called the head height when referring to dams. How deep is the water as it runs over the dam wall. In our systems it should be above 6mm with 10mm even better. This would solve the settlement issues guys have on their DSB.

Last problem with a DSB is the size. The bigger the better. Underneath out tanks we normally lack space.

BIO-balls are extremely efficient, especially for fish only systems. Thy adjust the fastest to varying fish load. That is why you could find stock holding tanks running on just a skimmer and bio-balls. Again part of the big problem is flow. To slow and you will have settlement, although bio-balls are very effective in slowing down the water flow. Check if you can find the balls that float. Easier to clean them and to see the settlement.
 
Dean Schreuder said:
What would you recommend going in the Sump
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How big is your sump. And what is the lay-out.

Oh last thing about a DSB. They are not that sensitive to being disturbed as believed. You can clean them with those suction vacuum things as used by fresh water guys.
To move my tank I removed my DSB out into 5 buckets, using layers. Move the tank. And put the sand back in correct order as removed. No issues, no problems. Even if you loose 50% of your beneficial bacteria, it is only one cell division away from being back at full strength.
 
RiaanP said:
How big is your sump. And what is the lay-out.

Oh last thing about a DSB. They are not that sensitive to being disturbed as believed. You can clean them with those suction vacuum things as used by fresh water guys.
To move my tank I removed my DSB out into 5 buckets, using layers. Move the tank. And put the sand back in correct order as removed. No issues, no problems. Even if you loose 50% of your beneficial bacteria, it is only one cell division away from being back at full strength.
Click to expand...
Main tank is a Shallow 1500 l x 250 h x 450w , with a corner overflow into a 3ft Sump that got a inlet chamber ( Skimmer fits there ) then a 3cm column then area that could be used for a DSB or refuge overflowing to the return pump area.
 
Needs a good clean but that's the Sump.
20220511_214717.jpg
 
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