Starting up DSB

Mekaeel

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hi there crew.ive just collected some sand form st michaels on the southcoast on low tide.i'll be luck if i can get 5cm to start of my DSB.is this fine to start of?
cool
 
Mekaeel its 2 shallow. You want more than 3 inches (7.5cm) for the DSB if you intend using it for nutrient reduction. 15cm even better.
 
There's not really any point in putting in 5cm now and another 5 later in terms of nitrate reduction but I suppose maybe some beneficial bacteria might grow on the sand in the meantime. Don't think it can hurt but don't expect it to work like a DSB.
 
What will happen is that all your critters will sort themselves out in the sand, and as soon as you add more sand you'll bugger everything up.
 
nope, add all your sand one time, so it can start working in harmony asap
 
One other thing, if you are going to add sugar fine aragonite take into account how much will disolve over a period of time, this Mekaeel I think is where you got mixed with some information.. it is common for reefkeepers who have deep layers of live sand in tanks to replenish the LS over time due to the minerals being disolved, some notice that the LS buffering ability is less and they don't have as many critters, a common way to replenish LS is to add a fine layer but you have to be careful not to cover aerobic fauna.. but DSB methodologies I would not do this..IMO, I would remove sections and replace but I would not add layers.

I made my DSB 16 - 18cm expecting it to be about 15cm in about a year. Also what if any fish you will keep with the DSB, a Banded Jawfish for example needs about 20cm.

Coolio

Muz
 
You can't keep any fish that will disturb the DSB in the same compartment as the DSB unless you put eggcrate over it or something. Disturbing it will render it useless.
 
Hi mekaeel, Thanks for starting this thread, if you do not mind I would like to add the following question: What size should a dsb be in relation to the setup? Sorry for barging in like this-only excuse is that its been bugging me forever.
Herkie
 
Hi mekaeel, Thanks for starting this thread, if you do not mind I would like to add the following question: What size should a dsb be in relation to the setup? Sorry for barging in like this-only excuse is that its been bugging me forever.
Herkie

Herkie.according to millepora(andrew),he says that its not the size of the DSB that matters its the quality.get what i mean?
 
Well size does matter to a certian degree. The bigger the better. Simply because the bigger the DSB is, the more capacity it would have to turn Nitrate into Nitogen. Ofcoarse if the quality is not right then you can have a DSB the size of a rugby field it won't do jack shit. So you can have a small one if it is set up properly.

Herkie, there is no rule about size. The general feeling is that go as big as you can/are allowed by your wife...hehe.

Cheers
 
You can't keep any fish that will disturb the DSB in the same compartment as the DSB unless you put eggcrate over it or something. Disturbing it will render it useless.


Sorry my thread was misleading, I did not mean keep a fish that requires a DSB in the DSB, I was thinking LS and DSB at the same time. Rory is correct.;)

Muz
 
Ok guys, not to be nasty here, but how many times do we have to address this DSB issue?

YOu need a layer of sugar fine sand (beach or aragonite) just shy of 20cm deep.

If you have any live sand, add it ON TOP of the "dead" sand. Any critters in your live sand will sort themselves out from here.

Ensure there is adequate flow over your DSB so as not to stagnate and kill everything.

If you lose height of the DSB due to the aragonite dissolving over time, add a little sand infrequently to get it back up. If you add too much, you will kill your aerobic bacteria and critters.
 
doberman , i dnt agree with your first comment there , this an open forum , guys ask what they want , how many times they want , if u dnt wana answer then dnt. Sometimes i tend to ask things that has already been asked before and if someone gave me a reply like what u did , i wudnt wana ask anything else again and that'll defeat the purpose of this forum.

its just my thoughts and nothing personel to do with you. theres alot of beginners here and man things are going to be asked over and over again .....

sorry if im sounding nasty here !!!!
 
Afsal, hence my first few words "ok guys, not to be nasty here".

This DSB issue gets asked over and over again, with the same questions raised every time. I think it gets a bit tiring.

It is obviously alright to ask things over again, but not with the repetativeness of the DSB saga.
 
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