LR/LS Question

[putster]

I have a couple of questions. First, does all my sand need to be LS, or can I have a layer of regular sand, then a layer of LS on top? Secondly, when placing my LR, can I put on top of the sand, or do I need to set it on the bottom of the aquarium and put the sand around it?

 

[stacyt]

You can use a mixture of LS, and other forms of sand. Just avoid sand that has silicate, and try to find sand that is argonite based.
When placing LR I recommend placing it on the bottom of the tank.

 

[nacl-h2o]

A layer of LS on top of dead sand would be fine and would seed the the dead sand to make it alive. You can put the LR on the bottom or on the sand it makes little difference.

 

[jacksonpt]

As the others have said... LS with regular sand is fine, just put the LS on top of the regular sand. If possible, try to find non-silicate based regular sand (Southdown tropical play sand from Home Depot is a popular one). When placing the LR, it doesn't matter if you put it on top of the sand or on the bottom of the tank with the sand around it. However, if you put it on top of the sand, make sure you press it down into the sand a bit to make sure it's good and sturdy. As your tank develops you will probably get creatures that can topple rockwork if it doesn't have a good, stable base.