Deep sand bed in refugium

[RickG]

Hello, was just wondering the pros and cons of having a deep sand bed in the refugium

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

Pros are good nitrate reduction, huge area for bacteria. Easy to remove if needed in the sump.

Cant think of a con.

 

[Sm51498]

I guess a con could be that large reduction of nutrients requires more surface area than you might think. Even a small one is worthwhile imo.

 

[brandon429]

having a deep sandbed anywhere other than the display is the pro

its detritus prefiltered ideally when setup outside of the dt, then they can actually have a chance of working to reduce nitrate when its not impacted by whole waste pellets all day long. it must be said that getting a sandbed to perform measurable nitrate reduction varies, even if someone sets up ten tanks in the same house same manner, several will not reduce it. Its an ideal, not a guarantee. Keeping the major detritus removed from the system and not sinked up in the bed gives the best chance of true n2 degassing, the ideal reason to keep a dsb. planting areas for roots and holdfasts are nice, extra bacterial support which winds up as suspended floc bits are part of the food chain etc