Crushed Coral vs Sand

[hultman]

Thanks for the comments. If I were going to try to keep Mandarins or a reef system I suppose all that makes sense. However, I'm not interested in a reef tank or difficult fish, so wouldn't a better approach for someone like me be to keep a clean simple environment?

I've been doing some reading on the denitrator sand theory, and some still think there is substantial risk of dangerous dead spots in a thick (more than an inch) sand substrate system. And in my FO tank the nitrate levels are not all that critical, and can be easily addressed with periodic vacuuming/water changes.

Not to be contrary, but there does seem to be a fairly heavy emphasis in this group on reefs, and I would suggest that we also consider the simple, effective FO tank system. Actually, a good reverse flow undergravel filter with a skimmer would probably be adequate for many of us who are just interested in the fish.

Just my two cents worth.

 

[OrionGirl]

Yep, that would be adequate. But, the diversity of the microfauna contributes more than just food--they are useful detrivores, as well. Any food they eat is broken down further before the bacteria get to it, meaning less eventual nitrate. Also, I consider them canaries--when the microfauna starts showing problems, there's something wrong that will likely hit the fish eventually. There is also evidence that high nitrates are harmful to fish. Short-term exposure seldom causes a problem, but elevated levels that are always present do cause health concerns for many fish.

There are certainly many ways to setup and run an aquarium. But, the way I advocate is the way that has worked well for me, and resulted in minimum maintenance. If you have a different setup, and it's something that's easily repeatable by someone else, I don't see a conflict. The problem is when someone has a system that's a massive departure from normal tanks, and presented as the ideal system, when in fact it's either A) been setup for a very short time period (anything less than a couple years is an experiment IMB) B) incompletely presented, thus preventing someone else from copying the tank. I had a friend who thought he had an ideal tank setup, but eventually he admitted that he replaced his fish about once every 18 months. Yikes!