EZ one 4 the experts

What size is the sand you used ? If it where me and you have started with the correct size sand then leave the plates and add more sand depending on how much you now ? and Insert a air line into one of the riser tubes and cap off the rest or remove them and the air line will be used every few yrs to pull bio sludge from under the plates and simple convert it to the Plenum system . Its a great system to use far far far better then a DSB and I was tempted to use one on this emergency 90 I just set up But time was a factor and I had to build a plate system.. I went true Berlin instead .

But a Plenum offers many benefits and few risk if you maintain the sludge under the plate . If interested in more info ? P/M me or look around the web But you must add that air line to remove sludge and many still feel thats not necessary and then they had problems and thats where the plenum got a bad name . But the same can be said for some algaes in a simple refugium people just wanted to try to add or delete something in an effort to sound smart !

 

Tang, typically plenum systems will have the plate covered with a fine screen mesh to prevent any sand or critters of detritus falling into the plenum. There is also another mesh layer about 2-3 above the plenum to prevent any diggers from distupting the anaerobic area just above the plenum..

I have used plenums with my DSB refugiums for the last 3 years, and I am a firm believer in them.

Happy reefing!

 

I run a 3" sand bed in my big tank and a 1 1/2" sand bed in my 24g I use other methods for nitrate exporting so the sand to me is more of an astetic thing

but on my 90g I have a 6" dsb in the fuge

 

3reef sponsor WWC doesn't have sand in any of their tanks and they all look amazing.

Quoted that from the forum on their website thats from Victor the co-owner. I have seen some pictures of some really nice tanks on here, but I have never seen a tank as beautiful with as many corals as the 180g display at world wide corals. My next reef tank is going to be bare bottom.