live rock or coral gravel in first?

[pomme]

another question?

okay which should i put in first as again i have heard different storues, so its another one of those works for some people and not others, or it doesnt matter.

well the question is should i put the live rock in first when the tank is up and running and then the sand, so that the live rock is on the tank and there wont be a build up of detrious under the rock,

or put the sand in and then the water and add the salt and let it settle in and then add the live rock, so its ontop of the sand.

Asll should the live rock be up against the tank sides or not? or should you leave a gap inbetween the live rock structure and the tank sides?

oh by the way when i said sand, it the tropical marine gravel in varying sizes that i will use.

andrew

 

[fishfreek]

If your using dry sand you can put the sand in first and then put the saltwater in. I would not mix the saltwater in a tank with sand as this can just cause more water clairty issues than its worth. If your using live sand you must have the saltwater in the tank first ready to accept the living sand.

I put my rocks in the tank after the sand is in. I also burry the rocks in the sand usually several inches.

 

[toddwess]

When I was tearing my 40 gallon down to rebuild a few months back, I drained all the water out, and started to remove the sand.

As I scooped out sand, the scoop revealed layers in the sand at different depths. In some areas, as I was scooping, the sand was jet black and STANK something awful.

The 40 gallon had only been up and running for three months. It had 10 lbs of sand mixed with 5 lbs of live sand and 45 lbs of LR.

What could have caused these black, stinky layers in my sand?

Do you HAVE to have Live Sand in an aquarium? I am thinking of doing a tank with tiny, tiny gravel and base rock, and then just get corals and fish (no hermits, snails, or stars). Would this work?

Thanks everyone,
Todd

 

[pomme]

yeah i hope not to get that problem as i am only going to have the thinest layer of sand.

 

[wseaton]

These 'dead' zones in the sand were anaerobic layers which have different types of bacteria that prefer a low oxygen environment. If it smelled a bit like rotting eggs, or the black muck pulled up from a lake bed, you have your culprit. Good old hydrogen sulfide. LR that's doing it';s job can smell just as bad.

These transition layers in your sand help perform the much heralded nitrate reduction and are actually a sign of good health, that is provided they don't take up your entire sand bed.