Is a deep sand bed tank easier to setup up and maintain deep sand bed to have a beautiful, healthy reef tank deep sand bed tank better than a conventional tank or eggcrate

Deep sandbed advise and opinion

I've read your book cover to cover many times over. As my knowledge and experience with reefkeeping increases, I become more confirmed that your book is an invaluable tool in this hobby. Many thanks for helping me get a good grip on starting my reef.

Thank you for your comments on my book. I appreciate that.

My question is as follows: From trolling the message boards on ReefCentral for awhile, I believe there is a general consensus amongst the posters, if not all out advocacy for deep sand beds.

I know your book recommends the egg crate method, and though you don't state that DSB is a wrong way to go, you do cite a number of disadvantages. I know that this is an imprecise science and that there is more than one way to successfully keep a reef, but I would like to know if you have given any further thought to these disadvantages and/or how it can/should be reconciled with Shimek's article. Specifically, 1) you state that to properly clean the tank, LR on sand should be regularly lifted up and moved to clean sand under the rock. I believe ShimekShimek argues that the organisms in the sand take care of all cleaning and this step is not necessary. And, 2) your proposed method for water changes is to use a sand sifter to scoop and shake out sand, thereby siphoning out the sediment and other crap that's on the top layer. Alternatively, Shimeks suggests that the sand should never be sifted.

Ill try to be as brief as possible.
First do you need to have a deep sand bed to have a beautiful, healthy reef tank?
No

Is a deep sand bed tank "better" than a conventional tank or even my approach?
No

Is a deep sand bed actually *prove* over time?
(By proof I mean a high population of hobbyists successfully using the method 5 years+ )
No

Is a deep sand bed necessary?
No

Is a DSB tank "easier" to setup up and maintain? or less likely to have "problems"
No

would anyone really recommend to a novice a DSB?
I sure wouldn't

Lets look at Shimeks "benefits"

"
Benefits:
These beds provide three things.
(Note here *ONLY 3 benefits* which do not seem to be *real benefits)

First, they provide a place for processing and exporting some dissolved nutrients.

Second, they provide a place to recycle detritus, excess foods, animal feces and other particulate material into usable forms.

Finally, they provide a food source for many reef animals. Let's look at each of these functions. "

1 & 2 have to do with removal of waste.... which is what I recommend but controlled and manually

3 is a marginal food source for *some* inhabitants. The whole tank does not benefit from the DSB, only the sand bed itself .

Are these benefits really worth the trouble?

I don't think so

You don't have to be a rocket scientist to realize that what Shimek is recommending is highly unlikely to actually occur in nature. Sure, there is the process he describes however there is a HUGe difference in a 55 gallon tank and 1 square mile of ocean bottom. despite his claims that accumulated detritus is a "non-issue" begs the acid test of prolonged use.

So lets take a 12"x24" footprint of sand bottom on an average reef. If you have ever seen a floor of a reef you would see that it is a somewhat turbulent structure rather than an untouched boom as is recommended in this article.

He says stir, but do not remove.... what's the point? If the alleged micororganismns do the removing for you. What I'm eluding to is there are too many variables involved in a DSB. I recommend *controlling* via removal and replenishing water changes such of which is more likely to occur in the wild.

If you do not have experience with a reef tank, I would highly recommend my method. If you already have a year of more experience, and are compelled to try a DSB... I'd say ask yourself why you really need a BSB.. then "Go for it!'....

What is worth noting, no one has ever told me "Robert I did your method and my tank failed or I'm not happy with it" In over 6 years,thats NEVER been said to me. Never.My readers do their tank and move on. Sometimes they may move onto another method but they have never claimed my method did not work.

So, that mean mine is better than Rons? Not really, but its the one I advocate. And I support that method based on my experience in the hobby, what has worked for myself and my associates. I'm not likely to change my long standing belief based on someone's new.

A couple of closing comments:

As I always state my method is not the only method. Its my critics... who like to allege that I say mine is the only way. Believe it or not there is a definite group of people on line who don't appreciate my "Simplified" approach. Why? I can offer a few reasons

It gives them less to talk about ;-)
It has them buy and sell less products, Yes believe it or not reef keepers LIKE to spend money....

Another point my critics like to cling onto is my recommendation of lighting 3 - 5 WPG. They say WPG are not an accurate method, Well its not perfect but it IS a better guide for beginners then hysteria recommendationdations of massive lighting.

Also worth noting in all my survey results the average watts per gallon is between 3 and 5
go figure ;-)