Cali Kid Corals

So after the meeting, any BB thinking about adding sand?

kinetic

kinetic

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After the talk yesterday by Paul, anyone thinking about adding sand to their bare bottoms? Looking at it, definitely seems like it'd make things look aesthetically better...
 
That's an aspect I wanted him to discuss more, but never asked about. I was going to go BB, but might add a little in front and more in back.
 
I really wanted to go, unfortunately due to poor sales at the farmers market I was needed to pack up stuff to go home.

That being said, I've always thought about adding sand, however having had sand I don't particularly like the problems with it... plus I have corals growing on my bottom acrylic, so they like the no sand bit :)
 
sfsuphysics said:
I really wanted to go, unfortunately due to poor sales at the farmers market I was needed to pack up stuff to go home.

That being said, I've always thought about adding sand, however having had sand I don't particularly like the problems with it... plus I have corals growing on my bottom acrylic, so they like the no sand bit :)
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paul mentioned that the problems with sand aren't always a sand problem, it's just the first thing people point fingers at...

I enjoy pumping 7000+ GPH through my 48" x 22" x 22" tank without anything flying around except a few small trochus and hermits, with a sand bed, I bet it will look like a hurricane 24/7 in there.
 
I just don't want to maintain sand, ie. keeping it clean :) Also knowing there won't be a sand storm is always really nice too!
On my BB tank, it is amazing how much crap I siphon out off the bottom of my tank alone ... to think that in my last tanks, this was all hidden in the sand for who knows how long ... :D
 
kinetic said:
sfsuphysics said:
I really wanted to go, unfortunately due to poor sales at the farmers market I was needed to pack up stuff to go home.

That being said, I've always thought about adding sand, however having had sand I don't particularly like the problems with it... plus I have corals growing on my bottom acrylic, so they like the no sand bit :)
Click to expand...

paul mentioned that the problems with sand aren't always a sand problem, it's just the first thing people point fingers at...
Click to expand...
Of course, however if the point of adding the sand is to make it more aesthetically pleasing then it doesn't matter what the cause for the ugly is, it's still an ugly. :)

And to follow up with Anthony said, I have about 3 "dead spots" in my tank where all the detritus accumulates making it a really easy job to siphon it out as needed, sand would prevent that as I'd be too worried about sucking sand up (as valuable a resource as it is :D) plus the sand itself might prevent the detritus from being neat and orderly in one area.
 
I remember in my last tank whenever I so much at nudged a rock in m tank, a nasty cloud of brown who-knows-what came came out. You can imagine how much came out when I tore down the tank!
 
This was the tank that made me want to get into the hobby, but after weeks of research I went with having a reef tank instead of a freshwater planted tank.

gp2008_03.jpg
 
i totally agree about the freshwater realm having an edge when it comes to design aesthetic. i went to the meeting yesterday but unfortunately missed the beginning when i believe most of the design discussion was. in future aquascaping i think i will try basing some things more off of freshwater tanks approach. however will have to keep in mind that the color palette is different (reef=purple/coralline) and materials are different (live-rock tends to be bulbous)...
 
I did come home and clean the sides of my tanks. They do look much better this way. No plan to add sand. I like getting the gunk out at water changes, and there is a whirl of flow on the bottom to keep most of it suspended, but it still rests in about three places as Mike mentioned with his tank. I also think the bottom will encrust with animals over time.

I have had classes on the golden mean and the color wheel. It was good to see him relate those to tanks. Color is primary when I add. How and where it will live next to other colors. I have to get better at triad of color groupings to make them all pop.

It was good that he made the note about not being as familiar with smaller tanks. Something to look for in his next visit with us.
 
As a glass tank owner and a life long BB guy (20+ years), I did react to the photos and thought about it. Then as he was discussing the crushed coral method of pod production, I really, really thought about it.

Bottom line, if you were to make this a poll, I'd say yes, I'm thinking about it. ;)
 
I already have sand in my tank but I am contemplating removing all of my old sand, cleaning it, sifting out the big pieces, and adding the crushed coral behind the rocks for the pods.
 
The sand is an aesthetic, not a necessity, and is the whole reason for the faux sand bottom.


I find a lot of the freshwater designs to be way too similar and kind of stale. :D
 
I missed the meeting but I just added some sand to my tank last week. Only an inch or two but I like the bright clean look. The spotty marine board is mostly covered now.

Thanks for the link for those freshwater tanks. They are breathtaking.
 
Thales said:
The sand is an aesthetic, not a necessity, and is the whole reason for the faux sand bottom.


I find a lot of the freshwater designs to be way too similar and kind of stale. :D
Click to expand...

Paul said it was more then just looks. Remember his comment about bio-films? You don't get much (only surface) with faux :)
 
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