Chrispar Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 ok, i got the money together and saved up to get my tank started. So what order should i add the sand and rock and water? should i have the sand bed laid out then add rock or rock then sand then water? might sound a bit silly but i wanna know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robb in Austin Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 I do rock then sand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muddybluewater Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 I like to have sand under my rock to protect the glass bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrispar Posted August 28, 2009 Author Share Posted August 28, 2009 fair enough thanks for the input, anyone had any luck with play sand? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zarathustra2 Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 Base rock first so you are stacking something up against the bottom. Lots of people throw in a layer of eggcrate. Playsand can work if it passes the vinigar test but be wary. It's really not worth it when Prof has such good prices on sand that you know is good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 I think rock first, then sand. That way the rock is stable. Lots of reef critters like to move sand around. If your rock is sitting on sand, the sand adjustments can cause large pieces of rock to shift suddenly. Rock shifting suddenly is nearly always a bad thing in my experience. JMHO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesL Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 I am of the rock then sand camp. Especially if you plan on adding any burrowing animals like jawfish or pistol shrimp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manhorsedog Posted August 28, 2009 Share Posted August 28, 2009 what type of corals do you wanna keep? what size tank are you getting? how long do you plan on running this system for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrispar Posted August 28, 2009 Author Share Posted August 28, 2009 its a 29 gallon tall. not tooooo sure on corals yet, i know at least some softies, livestock is gonna be some black and white ocellaris, a blenny of some sorts and CUC, I plan on running it long term Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caferacermike Posted August 29, 2009 Share Posted August 29, 2009 The "true" method is rock then sand. Not so much because they can shift, but because you can create anaerobic areas if you place rock over sand. These "dead spots" can build up toxic gasses that could eventually cause all of your parameters to shift suddenly if they became released. Now I don't know if I really agree with all that I just said. It is just what you tend to read when you read the books and magazine articles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atxryan Posted August 30, 2009 Share Posted August 30, 2009 Rock first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrispar Posted August 30, 2009 Author Share Posted August 30, 2009 rock went first then crushed coral Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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