Bare Bottom Vs Sand Bed

[ecoreefguy]

I’m finishing up equipment annd it’s almost time to set up the tank. I am still on the fence of sand bed or bare bottom. Would love some pictures of both to help me pick a side.

 

[Jikkermanccini]

I have a mix of fine sand, normal grade, and coral gravel in my aquarium. It gives a super naturalistic look and provides a lot more space for microorganisms to flourish, who in turn keep detritus buildup down. The added surface area with sand is several times more than the rock alone, so there's plenty more room for bacteria growth.
The one time I tried a bare bottom, it was a nightmare. They require a lot more upkeep to keep the tank looking "clean", and remove the aforementioned surface area boon.

I've seen beautiful tanks both ways, but I prefer sand. If you have a high flow tank, mix in some rubble or coral gravel like I did and it keeps the sand in place. (Excuse the aiptasia)


Tried to attach an FTS, wouldn't work.

 

[Jikkermanccini]

Here's an FTS.

 

[enderg60]

I dont think a reef tank looks right without sand. That said my frag tank is bare bottom because sand is a PITA when you want high flow.

 

[chaples55]

Here's an uncommon option for your consideration. I really like the look of a dark substrate for that deep contrast and rich color pop. However, I don't like the look of the Hawaiian black sand and it's sharp texture and propensity for being magnetic and scratching glass is a deal breaker for me.

Enter Seachem Gray Coast. Mixed grade natural calcite gravel/sand that stays put, doesn't scratch, and has a consistent dark grey color that appears black under reef spectrum lighting. I really love this stuff. It does need to be rinsed thoroughly to remove fines though IMO.

 

[dball711]

Bare bottom all the way, easiest of all situations to manage. with enough flow, Detritus is kept in the water stream so corals can feen on it. My experience has taught me that sand beds lead to more problems than not. Yes they can add it nice look to an aqua scape but they can also be a ticking time bomb waiting to nuke a tank.

 

[dustin]

I don’t think I’ve responded to a post in about a decade so here goes lol.

Any substrate will collect funk just like a sump will. You have to be willing to vacuum that gunk out of the sand and find the right balance. I haven’t experienced a bare bottom to be more work with the right flow. Just more or less forces the gunk to settle in the sump or pulled in the skimmer as opposed to getting trapped in the sand. I’ve done deep bed, no bed etc. Now I’m doing a thin crushed coral bed and like it. I can vacuum it and remove it easily if my parameters start changing due to nutrient build up that’s not being cleaned out otherwise. Go with a thin one as it’s cheap and you can pull it out later if you feel the need. I do however believe no bed is a little less maintenance but that’s so situational that may not apply to your tank. Good luck!

 

[msporleder]

Here's an uncommon option for your consideration. I really like the look of a dark substrate for that deep contrast and rich color pop. However, I don't like the look of the Hawaiian black sand and it's sharp texture and propensity for being magnetic and scratching glass is a deal breaker for me.

Enter Seachem Gray Coast. Mixed grade natural calcite gravel/sand that stays put, doesn't scratch, and has a consistent dark grey color that appears black under reef spectrum lighting. I really love this stuff. It does need to be rinsed thoroughly to remove fines though IMO.

Woah that tank is BRIGHT

 

[chaples55]

Woah that tank is BRIGHT

I blast the corals with lots of UV and violet to amplify those neon colors


To add to the discussion on substrate vs bare bottom: I agree that substrate has the potential to collect gunk, and I think it is best to use a thin layer. But with the right cleanup crew this can be mostly negated. A variety of sand burrowing snails and a few conchs should do the trick. I haven't siphoned in 2+ years and yet I still struggle with my nutrients bottoming out. Larger tanks may use a sand sifting star or cucumbers. A downside is these critters need to be replenished from time to time and are an additional expense and may be an eyesore to some.

Another reason to consider substrate is for keeping certain fish. Various gobies and sand sleeping wrasses for example require substrate. I love having all kinds of wrasses so having enough substrate for them is a must in my display tanks!


I do have to give a point to bare bottom for ease of maintenance. I have two frag quarantine systems set up right now: one with substrate and one without. The bare bottom one has stayed squeaky clean whereas in the one with substrate I'm currently battling cyano/dinos. Definitely agree that you need good flow to sweep the bottom for a bare bottom to work

 

[billyocean]

BB has all the benefits in the long run except for looks and sand dwelling fish/inverts. Personally, a dt doesn't look nearly as good BB so I use sand. Siphoning sand is part of my regimine when changing water. A frag tank is much easier BB as well. In the end....I deal with it solely for looks

 

[jcook54]

One of my favorite critter in this hobby is the pistol shrimp/goby pair. I love watching those little guys do their thing so all of my tanks get the sand treatment. As soon as I catch my darn snowflake eel, the only tank without these two will be getting some!

 

[Cook]

I still like sand for aesthetics and most say it takes longer to stabilize a bare bottom tank, but that's the direction I would go if I were starting a new tank. I have a frag tank where I straddled the fence and put sand in a box with the rest of the floor bare, but I can't do anything with the sand unless I pull the rock on top of it out. My 180 gallon has sand and even with some sand sifters, it's not clean. Looks best the day after vacuuming it and that's it.

 

[fabbss]

I like the look of sand, but as a few other mentioned. BB is the way to go long term, I won't go back to sand. Burrowing clean up crew don't live forever and the leave pockets of dense nutrients. At some point that will get disturbed and throw all kind of stuff out of whack. I am able to keep my nutrients in check by adding phosphate and nitrate as needed. But just my two cents. I think it also depends on what type of corals you like and want to keep. SPS, like a lot of flow. That can be hard with sand.

 

[Noel01]

I’m finishing up equipment annd it’s almost time to set up the tank. I am still on the fence of sand bed or bare bottom. Would love some pictures of both to help me pick a side.

I just like a sand bed myself. Some place for more good bacteria to live. QT tank bare for sure but it’s all up to the owner. If you plan on a lot of corals then a bare looks really cool with reflections. This I have seen time and time again but never have I tried it.

 

[richards]

I just posted my build from January. I elected to use live sand. Purchased from Pure Reef. I used man-made rocks from the same store. The sand helps with my filtration, and it’s also a substrate for my collection of wrasses to burrow into when they sleep at night.

I do have to siphon detritus and algae from the sand. And I also have some sand shifters helping with maintenance.

During the gunk phase of establishing biological stability, the worst which I believe was May and June, there were a couple occasions I actually had to siphon a thick matt fiber/sand algae that included requiring adding sand to the tank. I even learned not to put sand down the sewer pipe, by having to rotary my drain.

Still need more maintenance crew, perhaps starfish, to help sift sand. The sand tends to collect a thin, brown film of algae in the same fashion as the glass walls of the tank.

 

[Noel01]

Diamond goby. Just make sure you have a lid on the aquarium or you will find it in the floor. Sand sifting machine though. Your sand bed will stay as white as snow!!

 

[richards]

Thanks, yeah!

 

[Burritosanchito]

I have always hated the look of bare bottom tanks. Also rockwork is so much more stable when placed on a sandbed. The reflection of light off the sand bed can also be beneficial.

 

[shimshimshinil]

Conch do a great job of eating the brown algae off the top layer of sand