When Setting Up A New Marine Tank

What do we add first? Sand, rock, then water? or rock, sand, then water? Also how do you secure the rock? I want to make sure it's stable, especially when we have earthquakes, and i also have a puffer who might pick at some rock.

 

1/2 salt water then rock. check out the great DIY section to see how to secure it. lots of ideas there. have fun! ooops sorry look at your live rock section

 

i personaly go with sand, water then rock, and to secure the rock i use an epoxy called aquastick you can get it in different colours to suit your rocks and coraline algae

 

when researching *i've done lots* about saltwater tanks i've read some where that for animals who stay in the sand it's best to do rock, sand then water. Would that be what i should do with mine since my puffer sleeps in the sand when he's tired.

 

the idea behind this i believe is that the animals that live in the sand can burrow under the rock formations making them unstable, if you want you can puth the sand in last using a piece of pvc pipe and a funnel guiding it around all your rock so that you dont get it everywhere

 

good idea just use a large hose and funnel depending on the grain size of the sand

 

why don't you check out a rock rack for your tank. (gosh I wish I had done this) Build urself a littel platform to set directly on the bottom of the tank, put the sand in and then put the rock on the little platform keeping your rock off of the sand. that way, if one of your critters digs in the sand, it will be ok because the rock has another base=)

 

im kind of liking that idea.

Also another question for everyone. Do i have to have inverets with fowlr system or "semi" reef tank? The reason why i ask is because my puffer will most likely eat all of the snails and what not.

 

ok. what i would do and what i seem to know its best is.

You put the rock in first, leaving lots of open spaces and hiding spots.
then you put the sand. having the rock first and then the sand it gives it the look that the rock is coming out of the sand,just like in the ocean.
Lastly you put the water in... make sure you put a plate, or some kind of plastic surface to make like a cushion. That way the sand will stay down.

for the rocks to be stable you can use aquarium safe silicon. MAKE SURE IT SAYS AQUARIUM SAFE other wise you'll poison your fish.

 

This is the way I'm doing it. Also to stabilize your rock a combination of epoxy and super glue, and/or drill the rocks and use some sort of acrylic rods or something as pegs between them to connect them all.
Epoxy:
Reef Epoxy Bulk Reef Supply