# Deep Sand Bed . . . thoughts?



## proaudio55 (Oct 20, 2011)

Ok, I know lots of people freak out and worry about a deep substrate going annoxic ==> releasing hydrogen Sulfide (HS2) into the water ==> Dead fish. 
But then others say deep beds are the greatest thing ever and it will help your tank:

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_7/volume_7_1/dsb/01.gif
http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_7/volume_7_1/dsb.html

Reefers have been using deep beds for years and getting fantastic results. I know freshwater-planted tanks are a bit different, but if you are careful about not stirring up the deep sand when messing with the plants / sticking in root tabs . . . a (DSB) deep sand bed would be fine, right?


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## dundadundun (Apr 8, 2010)

i think i remember a thread that was ongoing while dee was writing that article... http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?215174-How-Freshwater-Deep-Sand-Beds-Work

i also remember some of her pitfalls, trials and tribulations. IIRC, some were not so good and some she couldn't make heads or tails of.

EDIT: here's one of her tanks i noticed right on this site... http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/987392-post36.html


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## fuzz_16 (Oct 28, 2011)

With SW you want deeper sand beds, but there is a TON of critters to clean it up and stir it. gobys, star fish, hitchhikers you dont really want in your tank -.- (makes me wanna set up a mantis tank thinking about it) and of course snails!

idk much about deep sand beds....or sand in general in FW. but would need something to stir it up, MTS burrow and could stir it up and keep gasses from building up


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## TactusMortus (Jun 28, 2011)

Bad bad idea with a freshwater tank you could not possibly have enough snails to stir it up consistently.


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## discuspaul (Jul 27, 2010)

To avoid the potential risks, I would advise going with a light layer of sand, an inch or less at the front in the unplanted areas, and no more than 3" at the deepest point in the rear of the tank.


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

TactusMortus said:


> Bad bad idea with a freshwater tank you could not possibly have enough snails to stir it up consistently.


though my snail infested tank would beg to differ about not having enough i still don't agree with the idea of a DSB for freshwater, like mentioned in sw there are tons of critters moving the sand around and there is a delicate exchange between the layers of sand, and when i did have a reef the only dsbs i knew about were in sumps which is where mine was. i don't go near 3 inches of sand in my tanks for a bad past experience ending in complete fish loss and most plants melting from roots up.


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## rustbucket (Oct 15, 2011)

I too have been wondering about this, some people swear by them but I am so confused.

Isn't the point of the dsb to never disturbed the sand? The snails and what not do the first inch or so but if the lower levels are disturbed and oxygen gets to the anaerobic areas then it kills the bacteria and messes up the whole dsb? Undisturbed anaerobic sand has benefits right:help:

Does anyone on here keep a freshwater dsb, I'd love to know 

http://www.wetwebmedia.com/ca/volume_7/volume_7_1/dsb.html this link that proaudio55 mentioned says dsb's in freshwater are great but shrimpNewbie if your plants rotted I'm confused?? :help:

Reading up on the benefits I would love to know more about this, as it seems like a good thing, but like I said any first hand experience here??? With so many members someone must have tried this???


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## TactusMortus (Jun 28, 2011)

I am not sure why he would recommend this as I have experienced the same rotting roots on my plants. He also recommeds a 3" substrate as his supposed "deep sand bed" that is not deep in my book. That is just about right where you want it to be. At that depth even with the lack of snails you shouldn't really have to worry about your soil going anaerobic. Also I have to say for a very natural tank his method may work but it sounds like a very ugly tank as well snail infestations, worms everywhere, black pockets in your soil, not able to do much if any rescaping, no vacuming, thick layer of mulm, and a fourth of the level of filtration I would typically recommend. I have had shrimp and fish live in water you could not even see through in a half full tank with no filtration. However just because they lived and were healthy doesn't mean I would want to display that tank in my home. I see no good reason to go with a deep sand bed as he is suggesting. The other methods have been proven effective over and over again why mess with the wheel?


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## psalm18.2 (Oct 16, 2010)

The cure is MTS snails, lots of them.


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## Eldachleich (Jul 9, 2011)

How deep is deep?
Most of my 6 gallon has 4 - 5 inches of sand. Except the very front part which in about 1 1/2"
I dont know why it is. I dont remember putting it that deep but it is. Nothing really happening back there. No anerobic pockets. Been that way for... umm.. 7 - 8 months.. Not exactly sure. Not that long but.. still..
I can see little plant roots running through the whole thing though. Not sure if that effects anything.
Its the super white caribsea sand. Um.. moonlight?


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## galabar (Oct 19, 2011)

Isn't the point of a deep sand bed to remove nitrates from the reef aquarium (released as nitrogen gas)? That isn't a goal in the planted tank, is it? We want nitrates to feed the plants. In fact, if we don't dose nitrates, we'll see 0 ppm (which is what I currently have -- starting to dose nitrates soon).

So, it seems that a deep sand bed would be counterproductive in a planted tank.


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## shrimpNewbie (May 6, 2011)

in my sump my functional dsb was 6 inches and leveled, it took alot of playing around with and seeding the correct microfauna, in a freshwater setup i doubt you can avoid rotting roots.


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## sepehr (Oct 6, 2010)

The slopes on the right and left side of my tank are 4.5 inches deep and gradually comes down to 1.5-2 inches towards the middle of the tank. It's been like this for two yrs now without any problems. Have you seen some of the tanks made by Amano or Oliver Knott? Some of the slopes they've made are well over 7 inches! I hope this helps a little.


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## Naekuh (Oct 19, 2011)

OK speaking as a ex reefer... deep sands beds worked if you had something that sifted though it..

Otherwise your not going to get any circulation though the bed. The sand packs and packs... and the water pressure on top ensures you get air pockets stuck inside forever..... ive seen it on my tanks... 
You need something sifting though the sand... or something that will at least overturn each and every sand u have on the bed... 

And deep sand beds have their pains as well...


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## fuzz_16 (Oct 28, 2011)

no gasses from sand beds are good in any tank...gasses kill things


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