adding of sand, live rock and water

[mark edwards]

Just a quick question, I am ready to add live sand, rock n water to my aquarium, would you say it's better to add live sand and live rock to aquarium then add water or add water then add live rock and sand, just would like some advice many thanks

 

[flower]

Hi,

Fill the tank 1/2 with saltwater...add the rock, and push the sand around the rock. You can't build on shifting sand, a rock slide can break the tank or kill your critters. Once everything is in place continue filling the tank with saltwater....GENTLY. Then turn on pumps, filter, power heads and such to let it all clear. Then once it's clear (may take a couple of days) we can talk about cycling the tank for the first time.

 

[bang guy]

I agree with Flower. I would add, use dry sand for the initial cycle. It's much less expensive and as long as you have some live rock the bacteria will colonize on it rapidly.

Don't despair if your tank is cloudy for a week or so. The suspended sediment will settle once the bacteria colonize it and it's very useful for the sand bed. There's nothing to see in the tank for a while anyway.

A lot of people panic and start filtering out the sediment. That's such a waste.