live sand or glass bottom

[groucheux]

First off, let me just comment on what a great page this is...especially for newbies like myself! Its so nice to have such good info available!
Now, the question. I can't decide between live sand, or a glass bottom. I've read that if I do the glass bottom I can add "star polyps"(?) later. Any suggestions? I have a 55 gallon (pretty narrow), @ 70lbs of live rock, and all I can do in lighting is a 10,000k white and blue. Is this enough for the polyps?
thanks in advance...grouch

 

[trigga]

Your lights are fine for what you want to do.
I am NO expert but if you look at most Fish stores, at least in my area, they have glass bottoms. The reason being is that it is easier to take care of.

 

[kass]

I've had my reef for 15 yrs. I started it with sand. Then it became the "in thing" to go bare bottom so I took my sand out. Mine did better with the sand as they said about 1 inch. I put the sand back in. There are advantages to both. Aragonite sand helps keep calcium and strontium up plus helps filter. Bare bottom lets u clean the detritus easily and know where it builds up.
I personally don't think you have enough light for star polyps. Is that 1 bulb on a 55 gal. tank? You can start with dry sand and seed it with live sand. After a while it all becomes live. I would definately get more light on the tank.

 

[groucheux]

Thanks for the suggestions. Re: lights, I actually have 3...a 10,000k white, an actinic blue, and a little 15w 6,500 white.
When you say "detritus" does that mean the little pieces of LR rubble that have fallen off my rock?
One more question...got my LR in. My ammonia is through the roof and I have patches of white stuff growing on my rock (kinda filmy). Is this a bad thing?
thanks....grouch

 

[groucheux]

yeah...I went the "pre-cured" route from a well established online source. Not very happy with them. Newbie mistake. I did get a good price though..eases the pain a little.