Rock and sand.

[Jayva]

I have 1 big 6.5lb Rock in there I didn't want to do rock work to trap det between and have anything near the glass. Plus this rock has a natural cave and a peninsula.

Just wanted a clean "island" look. Picture on the bottom.

 

My question is. My sand is coming tomorrow morning I'm gonna dump it in as soon as it comes. 10lb bag of live argonite. How many inches of sand bed do I want?

I understand I don't have a lot of room to work with. So 1 inch? 2? 3? I personally want to keep it barebottom but I want the benefits of sand. Denitrifying etc.

 

P.S. I know that 500GPH power head is over kill. I'm just using it for now. I'm gonna change it to either 240GPH or 90GPH.

 

 

[Tamberav]

You could do bare-bottom if that is what you want. Some people prefer it in small tanks as debris is easier to manage. I have ran barebottom with a heavy fish load in a 6g no problem.

My question is. My sand is coming tomorrow morning I'm gonna dump it in as soon as it comes. 10lb bag of live argonite. How many inches of sand bed do I want?
I understand I don't have a lot of room to work with. So 1 inch? 2? 3? I personally want to keep it barebottom but I want the benefits of sand. Denitrifying etc.

[seabass]

I like the rock. Either way on bare bottom or not. I personally prefer a 1" sand bed. This is shallow enough so that the critters can keep it moving, oxygenated, and relatively clean. Having a sand bed might also help with alkalinity stability.

 

P.S. I'd probably go with the 240 vs the 90gph powerhead.

[cruiZe]

Yes , 1" maybe 1 1/2"--- no more . Read up about stirring , rinsing and cleaning your sand regularly... I recommend it!

 

I like your rock too. Will be easier to work around anyway in an edge tank

[Clown79]

I like about 1" of sand.

 

I'd go with 240gph, 90 barely moves the water and corals like flow.

[Jayva]

I like about 1" of sand.

 

I'd go with 240gph, 90 barely moves the water and corals like flow.

Tried 240. The sand was blowing everywhere. I put 2x 90GPH. On opposite ends facing each other. I might add a third.

[Clown79]

If you add a third it will equal to 270gph.

[ReefWeeds]

Tried 240. The sand was blowing everywhere. I put 2x 90GPH. On opposite ends facing each other. I might add a third.

 

I had this same tank and ran the 240. You just need to give the sand a bit of time to build up the biofilm on it. It will stop blowing around eventually.