Question

[forcrz6]

Is there any sort of refrence to how many pounds of Live sand and live rock to add to a certian size tank? or is it just a best guess? And what is a good base for the live sand? 1 or 2 inches? I am not seeing anything in the forums or maybe I just missed it. I would think that the amount of live rock and sand would depend on the type of critters but I guess my common sence is out to lunch :notsure: can someone point me in the right direction?

 

[mudplayerx]

You should get about 3 inches of sand in your tank and about 1-2 pounds of live rock per gallon.
You can save a lot of money by buying 90% or more of the regular aragonite sand and just "seeding" that sand with a small bag of live aragonite sand.

 

[forcrz6]

Originally Posted by mudplayerx
You should get about 3 inches of sand in your tank and about 1-2 pounds of live rock per gallon.
You can save a lot of money by buying 90% or more of the regular aragonite sand and just "seeding" that sand with a small bag of live aragonite sand.
Ok Im not tring to come of as rude so excuseme if I do im just tring to find out the answer to my question and get the material that you are refrencing from so I can look there befor asking the same question that I know someone else already did befor. So here we go I would like to know where did you get the info? What is the diffrence in 2 to 3 inches of the sand? and would it be better for a noob like me to get the sand you suggested or just regular live sand? sorry Im not tring to be rude just tring to ask questions that might answer other people that are thinking the same thing. I do thank you for your information though.

 

[phisyinfl]

I have started two salt tanks in the last 3 years and have tried once with all live sand and live rock - 2 pds per gallon and then I tried the "cheap" way by using only one bag of live sand and the rest just dry argonite. I have found that using all live sand and live rock cycles the tank faster with less spikes in ammonia and nitrates than trying to go the "cheap" route. It is really up to you and how much you want to spend and how long you want to let the tank cycle before adding stuff.

 

[mudplayerx]

Three inches is the magic number. If you have less than that, then you don't get the stratification necessary for the anaerobic bacteria to thrive unmolested by your critters. If you have more than that, you have to go up to six inches or more because from 3-5 inches seems to lead to problems for some reason.

 

[forcrz6]

Cool Thanks Now I understand the sand amount and the rock per gallon that you posted in the 1st post. Thankyou. Now asfar ast the Live sand goes. Can I have it sit in a bag and not in the tank tell I am ready to add the water, or is it better to add the water right away as soon as I get the sand?