new 46g reef tank being started

[Devilishturtles]

There have been lots of myths surrounding the silica vs aragonite sand issue, but IMHO, there is nothing to worry about. Silica is bad for humans IF you breathe in a lot of the dust. If you rinse the sand off well (for your fishtank or for a sandbox) to eliminate a lot of the dust I don't see a problem. Of course, I'm not health professional either, so.

Silica based sand is fine to use in a reef tank, though aragonite based sand is better for the water quality because it provides and continual buffer for pH and calcium, etc.

 

[fijiwigi]

I think I will go with aragonite if it is better for water quality. I think it is important seeing as how we are trying to reproduce ocean conditions. If there is anything I have learned it would have to be that this hobby is not cheap and if you go cheap it usually ends up costing more money in the end. If I would of had any idea of the 1000's of dollars that I would end up spending in the end I probably would have stayed with freshwater. But now I have an addiction.
Also I was wondering is there stuff you can buy to glue rocks together? I look at some well established reef tanks and there is usually many platforms and caves. And the rocks don't rest on each other much at all. I want to build a back wall and im afraid the rocks will tumble. breaking and positioning the rocks makes me nervous. I have big rocks and will probably buy some base rock. Does anyone have any aquascaping expertise that could offer some advice.

 

[roka64]

You could build frames to attach the rocks to. I use plastic zip ties (don't get the kind with the metal "pin") and drill the rock, if I need to. I have tried that putty stuff and it was more of a pain, plus it takes a lot of it to stick big chunks together.
One other thing, make sure you place the rock on the bottom of the tank, to avoid toppling.

 

[fijiwigi]

what do you mean by building frames??? I just uploaded a full tank shot to get some ideas from anyone who has any. here are my questions
1. Do I have enough rock? should I buy base rock? 2. How much sugar fine white sand should I need for this 46g bow? 3. what kind of clean up crew would be reccomended?? just like 4 snails???

 

[roka64]

Sorry, building a frame with PVC to attach your rock to. It makes the rock more stable.
1. 1.5-2 LBs of rock per gallon is a good, safe rule. There are other variables such as how porous the rocks are. I have 150Lbs of base rock in my 125 and seeded it with some already cured LR.
2. This depends on how deep of a sand bed you want.
3. On the clean up crew, after the cycle is complete, start small, maybe about 10-15 snails, a hermit or two should be enough to get you started. If you add too much to a new tank, there will not be enough food for them to consume.

 

[fijiwigi]

If you look in Devilishturtles gallery he has a nice shot of a 45 gallon tank. I want my 46 gallon to look similar to that. I don't know how. with pvc piping how to you attach the rocks an make the pvc pipe not visible??? what size of piping do you use. I have so much to learn I wish I could watch someone build a rock wall to get a general idea of the concept. And I have 55 pounds of live rock if the general rule of thumb is 1.5-2 plbs per gallon that puts me at 1.19 pounds per gallon yet looking at photo's of other tanks they appear to have less than I do. I guess it is all in the positioning of the rocks.

 

[Kurt_Nelson]

If you look in Devilishturtles gallery he has a nice shot of a 45 gallon tank.

She. Just an FYI.

And I have 55 pounds of live rock if the general rule of thumb is 1.5-2 plbs per gallon that puts me at 1.19 pounds per gallon yet looking at photo's of other tanks they appear to have less than I do. I guess it is all in the positioning of the rocks.

Rock can really vary in porosity. Two identical sized pieces of rock can weigh very different weights, depending on what type of rock it is. Some is really airy and porous, while other is dense and heavy.

What you ideally want is rock with lots of surface area for the bacteria to inhabit. More surface area means airy and porous. If you have very dense rock, then you'll want closer to 2 lbs/gallon since what you're really after is surface area, not actually pounds. But if you have airy lightweight rock, then you're probably OK with 1.5 lbs/gallon since you have more surface area. And that's why one persons 100 lbs of rock might look very different from their neighbor's 100 lbs of rock. Hope that makes sense.

Also... I agree with roka64 with cleanup crew size. Start small, and add more later if you need. I'd get a mix of trochus and astrea snails for the rocks, and nassarius for keeping your sand stirred up and clean.

 

[fijiwigi]

here is an updated photo of my progress I arranged the rocks to where I was satisfied and added some sand. Next step is a protein skimmer.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/photopost/showphoto.php?photo=13828&cat=500&ppuser=20351