Impatient disaster?
- Thread starter Jrambo88
- Start date
RockOn681
Member
I always recommend putting the rock in first before the sand so it cannot collapse once sand is added and something tunnels beneath it. Is the rock currently live rock or dry? If you do add the rock and water first the sand can be added by the cup full to the bottom of the tank to prevent a terrible sandstorm but you will still get some.
I had a tank seam blow out. I have all my rock in buckets with power heads. (It is established live rock from the tank) the fish are cramped in a small tank. My plan was to aquascape the rock, then add sand then water. But with my work schedule and waiting for the sand it may take a few days longer. I was curious on how bad a sandstorm it would create to add the sand after the water...will it be that much of a headache?
CStrickland
New member
I don't think you need to wait. Some sand dust seems less problematic for the fish than being crammed in a little tank.
You can add sand whenever you want to. You just need to rinse it well, which makes any extra $ you spent on live sand kindve a waste, but there's probs lots of bacteria on your rock anyway. It's a pain to rinse, you can use tap water and treat the last round with chlorine drops. Helps to run a filter sock for a day or too after as well. Some people find it less dusty to use a wide PVC pipe and funnel to send the sand right to the floor of the tank instead of pouring it in and having it blow around.
I prefer to add sand a few weeks after everything else. As the rocks settle in they produce a lot of detritus sometimes, bare bottom makes it easy to remove that. I never get the scape right the first time either, so no sand makes it easier to change up. Also if the rocks leach phos it's easier to dose LC barebottom. I'm running my second tank without sand right now until I feel like adding it. I have a wrasse that needs to sleep in the sand, so I put a little old sand in a Tupperware for his bed, I figure it's seeding the rock with some worms and stuff too.
You can add sand whenever you want to. You just need to rinse it well, which makes any extra $ you spent on live sand kindve a waste, but there's probs lots of bacteria on your rock anyway. It's a pain to rinse, you can use tap water and treat the last round with chlorine drops. Helps to run a filter sock for a day or too after as well. Some people find it less dusty to use a wide PVC pipe and funnel to send the sand right to the floor of the tank instead of pouring it in and having it blow around.
I prefer to add sand a few weeks after everything else. As the rocks settle in they produce a lot of detritus sometimes, bare bottom makes it easy to remove that. I never get the scape right the first time either, so no sand makes it easier to change up. Also if the rocks leach phos it's easier to dose LC barebottom. I'm running my second tank without sand right now until I feel like adding it. I have a wrasse that needs to sleep in the sand, so I put a little old sand in a Tupperware for his bed, I figure it's seeding the rock with some worms and stuff too.
CStrickland
New member
No standard. It depends on the rock your using too. One of the reasons I like using dry rock is you can scape it dry and take your time. But if you want good live rock with all kinds of critters in it you need to keep it wet.
