Sand first? Rock first?

[Swampgoat]

I am 100% new. I have an empty Fluval 24 gallon tank. I desire an aragonite sand bed of varying depth, no less than one inch.

I want to buy my live rock and aquascape it. But... there seem to be conflicting approaches as to the order of things.

Do I put the rocks on the glass bottom and then add sand? Or the opposite?

I guess I'm asking whether it is a matter of preference or a more rigid matter of science. Or maybe I'm asking how the majority of folks proceed.

 

[OhsCC]

Sand first for a few reasons.

Protect your tank glass bottom from the hard rocks that can crack your glass.

You paid money for each lb of rock, don't bury it.

 

[Captain smoke]

If you plan on getting a goby or a fish that digs I would say if you do sand first push the rock down low into the sand. This way when they dig the rock work won't shift and fall.

 

[davocean]

Depends on sand bed depth, but I like a little sand down first and then rock, and a little more sand to help lock it in place

 

[Xxero]

And here we go with the "conflicting approaches as to the order of things." :lolspin:

I always place my rock first simply because one should not build on sandy foundations. If placed on top of the sand, your rock has the chance to shift and come toppling down.

 

[RayAllen3422]

It depends on how much sand you are putting down IMO. If you put down a lot of sand and get something that goes through the sand like a diamond goby, there is potential for a rock collapse. When I set up my previous tank I put rock first then sand around it for that reason.

 

[RayAllen3422]

Oh boy. The debate begins.

 

[davocean]

Well, there's always more than one way so opinions may vary, but I was talking a thin layer of sand to help alleviate voids, not enough to cause a landslide!
I find it helpful to have something your rock can kind of set in.

 

[Dkuhlmann]

Sand first rock first. Chicken first egg first :dance:

I put sand first but I do wiggle the rocks down as deep as I can into the sand. You never know if you will have a fish that will dig a bed under a rock in the sand. My Hector's goby did this.

 

[jd371]

When I set up my tank I used rocks that were cut so they had a flat bottom to rest on the glass. Those were the base rocks and I built up from them. I added the sand after. The rocks are solid and don't shift around even without the help of rods or pvc supports.
You can also put egg crate down the size of the tank to keep the rocks from shifting and then the sand over that.

 

[cloak]

If your planning on using a SSB then I think it's only a matter of time before the rocks settle directly on the glass. You might as well just do this from the start IMO. Be careful though, as the rocks have a tendency to slide.

When I had a 4" DSB though, I built my rock structure on top of the sand. I stayed away from anything that digs or burrows and after 9 years it was still structurally sound.
Burying 4" of rock just sounded like trouble to me.

 

[SnoopyDaPimp]

Sand first rock first. Chicken first egg first :dance:

Actually the egg came first

 

[MeghanisradxD]

I always put rock first, just to save myself the headache of a rockslide later on. Especially if I plan on having a goby, wrasse, or other fish that likes to dig.

 

[gottalikesharks]

When I set up my 120 I will be doing rock first, don't want anybody digging under them and potentially nocking anything over.

 

[Swampgoat]

All sensible answers, even though some are opposite to others.

What I am hearing so far is that any placement method is for the mechanical purpose of avoiding rock shifting or toppling. So, I should anticipate whether I will eventually get digging fish or lifeforms; and I should probably put some extra time into beginning with a secure rock structure, whether with pins or adhesive.

Thanks to all, although I expect that the debate could continue.

 

[davocean]

All sensible answers, even though some are opposite to others.

What I am hearing so far is that any placement method is for the mechanical purpose of avoiding rock shifting or toppling. So, I should anticipate whether I will eventually get digging fish or lifeforms; and I should probably put some extra time into beginning with a secure rock structure, whether with pins or adhesive.

Thanks to all, although I expect that the debate could continue.

I would not debate w/ this statement!
Yes, I think you understand.
I do secure my rock w/ rods, other methods work there as well.

 

[Brieninsac]

Perhaps this should have been a poll.

I did rocks first because it allowed me to finalize my rock placement without sand in the way. I was still pulling rocks back out as I aquascaped and didn't want sand everywhere. I also didn't want my rocks to settle and shift after being stacked either through stirring my sand during cleaning and/or livestock moving it. I wasn't worried about damaging the glass bottom since I was taking my time and gently placing/stakcing them.

 

[homer1475]

I started out with rock first then sand, but after an ich outbreak and having to pull all the rock(to catch the fish), I ended up with sand then rock. I did push and wiggled the rock into the sand so they wouldn't shift.

 

[Deftones2015]

I prefer sand first and I wiggle the rock into it, especially if you do it all with water in the tank lol. I have placed rock scape then sand then water, worked fine, I've done sand then rock scape worked fine. I find for myself I play with the rock work a few times after I set it up so the sand goes under the rock anyway so I always figure now, why bother putting rock in first. I only do abt an inch of sand though.

 

[jrr98002]

As stated by the varying answers above, the short answer is: either. I know that's not the answer you were looking for, but if you're careful, either way will truthfully work, as I've also done it both ways. But if you're asking for a preference (you didn't, but I'll give mine anyways) I prefer to put my rock down first (read: VERY CAREFULLY) so that there's no settling that could cause your scape to topple or potentially trap something underneath, as a few others have mentioned. Although, if you are sure to seat your rock very very carefully in the sand, you can certainly get away with sand first. I just personally don't risk it very often.

Also, another point I forgot to mention is if you do rock first, you can get away with a little less sand for the depth 'look' you want, as the rock will take up some of the bed volume. If you do sand first and put rock on top of it, the rock will eventually settle to, or very near, the bottom of the tank with most substrates anyways, so it'll just push sand out and give you little hills around the rock. It's probably not enough of a sand savings to amount to a sizeable dollar amount, but something to think about.