Sand or no sand

[bsharpe]

Thinking of firing up my 2.5 gallon eco-pico. Maybe just for a harlequin shrimp or other funny little creatures. So what do you reefers think? Sand or no sand and why?

 

[jahmic]

Sand. I'll never go barebottom in a low water volume again...I've had too many issues potentially caused by a lack of buffering capacity. I plan on eventually taking down my 20 and adding sand to the new build.

 

[jda123]

The denitrification benefits, as well as the phosphate binding and swapping, of aragonite are too huge to pass up. Just vacuum 25% of it ever 3-6 months, in a rotation. This is a really low maintenance way to have a great tank for a long time.

 

[jagermeister]

I would go sand as well. For the reasons stated above and I like the look. More of a natural scape.

Have you considered a pistol shrimp/goby pair? Those would be two cool little creatures for a tank that size. I've heard the symbiotic relationship between the two is fun to watch.

 

[bsharpe]

I would go sand as well. For the reasons stated above and I like the look. More of a natural scape.

Have you considered a pistol shrimp/goby pair? Those would be two cool little creatures for a tank that size. I've heard the symbiotic relationship between the two is fun to watch.

I had a pair of yashi gobies that were really fun and do like the pair thing. I think I will start tonight on my set up. Might even post pics.

 

[Yaten13]

Always sand for me. Unless you really like vaccuming the bottom, there's really no reason not to. It buffers (maybe), denitrifies, and is a good home for pods and other microfauna that balance out your tank. Also lots of creatures will either peruse it for food or dig around in it.

 

[ailachami]

I went bare bottom in my tank because I have a dsb in my fuge. I have good flow that collect all the detritus in one spot that I vacuum during water change. I'm trying to get my zoas and cyphastrea to cover the bottom.