Live sand Live rock

[Bozinator]

I see some of you using live sand, some of you using live rock, can you use both? what would my advantage of one over the other be. how much sand would I use per gallon, how much rock would I use per gallon??

 

[cleanmyaquarium]

I see some of you using live sand, some of you using live rock, can you use both? what would my advantage of one over the other be. how much sand would I use per gallon, how much rock would I use per gallon??

Sand you probably need 15 lb per sq foot. So a 4x2 footprint = 120 lb sand. Live rock I think 0.5 - 1.0 lb/gallon. Some rock is much more dense than other hence the variance. You want a good aqua scape in the space and not just a large pile of rubble. Best to have lots of caves and space for current to flow through. Dead spots just accumulate waste and detritus that doesn't get processed by the rock. So it is a good idea to have a few large pieces to create structures

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[cleanmyaquarium]

Oh and yes you can have both. The benefit of no sand is that you can add a ton of current and the sand won't blow around....best for a hard core sps dominant tank

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[Bozinator]

Live Sand/Rock

Live Sand/Rock

Thanks for the ratios but when I said no sand I meant to say no "LIVE" sand. When you set your tank up did you go with live sand, live rock or both??? Do people do both??? Just starting in the hobby and have done nothing but read. It get a little confusing when you have two opinions that are both right. just trying to sort it all out before I start buying any thing

 

[cleanmyaquarium]

Thanks for the ratios but when I said no sand I meant to say no "LIVE" sand. When you set your tank up did you go with live sand, live rock or both??? Do people do both??? Just starting in the hobby and have done nothing but read. It get a little confusing when you have two opinions that are both right. just trying to sort it all out before I start buying any thing

Well live sand is usually cleaner...cheapest to use regular sand and seed it with a bag of live sand but the tank will be cloudy for a few days. Spend the extra coin on live sand and you don't have to worry about it being so cloudy.

I would do both live sand and live rock. Easier to set up the rockwork when you can see what you are doing. Live rock is a must unless you do dry rock and cycle the tank with 1 - 2 fish for a few months.

The main difference is how quickly you can stock the tank. With live sand and live rock you can add inverts and fish much sooner that with dead sand and dry rock....like 6-8 weeks sooner.

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[worm5406]

Either way if you do not do live sand/rock they will become live during the cycle. One will seed the other also, if one is live out of that pair.

Sometimes it is a good idea to get a cup, from a know local reefer, of live sand and help seed your own.

When I brought my 180 online I had to do a full cycle on it. I took 2-3 cups of live sand and put it in 1/4 cup piles on top of the sand in different places to help seed it.

I made sure the water was the right temp and pH before i did it, didn't want to kill of what I was putting into it.

 

[Bozinator]

Your saying that if I go with live sand it would be 15# per square. ft. And if I go with rock it is .05-1.0# per gallon. If I go with both will I decrease the sand and rock ratios by half?????

 

[worm5406]

He was just giving you the amount you need in pounds as most that you get are based on the weight.

 

[Kannin]

There is no "set in stone" rule on sand or live rock. It is just that the 15lbs of sand per foot will give you a nice, 2 to 3 inch deep sand bed... and if you use live sand, it will speed up the cycling process so that the tank gets up to speed faster. And, the .5 to 1lb per gallon ratio on rock is just a guideline that will give all of the organisms in your reef tank a nice place to live and do their jobs. The more of that rock that is "live" or, full of living organisms, from the beginning will also speed up the process.

Live rock and live sand are full of micro organisms, bacteria and inverts that help keep your water parameters in line, as parts of a healthy ecosystem... along with a good filtration system.