Deep Sand Bed
The Deep Sand Bed (DSB ) or deep sand bed method is a way to be operated with the reef aquariums. It was developed by American aquarists.
It is based on a near-natural very high ground of very fine Aragonitsand. The grain size should be 0.2 to 1.0 millimeters. In large public aquariums the ground is up to 30 centimeters thick, in private aquariums can achieve no more than 10 to 15 centimeters thick.
The thick ground has a huge surface area and provides nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria settlement area and thus acts as a biological filter. He also offers a large and diverse fauna of invertebrate microorganisms habitat that is introduced by live rock in the aquarium.
The Aragonitsand dissolves slowly, over a period of 18 to 24 months to 50 % and thus ensures a calcium enrichment of the water. Lime and calcium reactor is not necessary. It must be poured after only after some time Aragonitsand.
Other requirements of modern reef keeping such a strong lighting by halogen lamps (HQI ), optionally combined with blue T5 or T8 lamps, or a pure lighting with modern T5 lamps and a strong water movement also apply to the Deep sand Cond The aquarium water should ten to twenty are completely circulated times an hour.
In contrast to the Jaubert system that works with a high, but coarse-grained sand, are in the Deep Sand Bed grave end, the ground cataclysmic animals such as gobies, crabs, and sea cucumbers bang desired.
It has been shown that in operated with the Deep Sand Bed Method reef aquariums also large polyped stony corals only grow very slowly in other reef aquariums, can be very large, and that even " higher plants" such as sea grass, whose care has been impossible thrive. Another advantage is that much light is reflected by the bright white Aragonitsand so that the corals will also get light from below and the loss of tissue in the shaded, lower part of the coral is avoided.
Other systems for salt water tanks are the Berlin system, the already mentioned Jaubert system and the sludge filtering system.