when to add sand

[3dees]

I'm setting up a 120 gal. fowlr. filling the tank with ro and will mix the salt slowly. is there a reason I can't add the sand before I fill the tank. seems there would be less clouding. live rock won't be added for a few days later.

[Sugar Magnolia]

I've always added the sand first. To cut down on cloudiness put a dinner plate upside down on the sand bed and pour the water onto the plate.

[thegrun]

If you are mixing the salt in the tank, it must be mixed before you add sand, otherwise salt crystals will be embedded in the sand and it could take a long time before they dissolve, giving you a false reading for salinity. You also need to add the rock before you add the sand so the rock sits on the bottom of the tank. It is a good idea to cover the bottom of the tank with a piece of egg crate (light diffuser) before you add the rock which helps grab the rock and keep it from shifting which potentially could cause a landslide. Never place rock on top of sand or eventually you will have a landslide as sand shifts.

[thegrun]

Originally Posted by Sugar Magnolia

I've always added the sand first. To cut down on cloudiness put a dinner plate upside down on the sand bed and pour the water onto the plate.

It also helps to use a new oil change funnel to place the sand (with all pumps off).

[TruReef]

Originally Posted by thegrun

If you are mixing the salt in the tank, it must be mixed before you add sand, otherwise salt crystals will be embedded in the sand and it could take a long time before they dissolve, giving you a false reading for salinity. You also need to add the rock before you add the sand so the rock sits on the bottom of the tank. It is a good idea to cover the bottom of the tank with a piece of egg crate (light diffuser) before you add the rock which helps grab the rock and keep it from shifting which potentially could cause a landslide. Never place rock on top of sand or eventually you will have a landslide as sand shifts.

Put the rock on the bare glass first ,then add the sand, but make sure the base rock is sitting securely on the bottom(not going to shift when weight is applied on top)
Skip the eggcrate, it is unnecessary and provides a place for detritus to settle into. The little squares will trap the gunk that the sandsifters/cleaners are trying to get to, IMO it's a time bomb....

other threads about egg crate under rock.....
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1676524
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1544562
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1950848
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2214942
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=2061886
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1994885
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1199525
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh....php?t=1832570

[thegrun]

Originally Posted by TruReef

Put the rock on the bare glass first ,then add the sand, but make sure the base rock is sitting securely on the bottom(not going to shift when weight is applied on top)
Skip the eggcrate, it is unnecessary and provides a place for detritus to settle into. The little squares will trap the gunk that the sandsifters/cleaners are trying to get to, IMO it's a time bomb....

We'll have to agree to disagree. I recently took down a 5 year old tank that had egg crate. The sand was not any dirtier at the very bottom between the grating than the sand above the egg crate. I have however had landslides in tanks without egg crate, but not in tanks with it. I would however like anyone who has had a long term problem with egg crate to chime in; I'll be the first to admit my limited samples do not constitute a large enough data base to make absolute conclusions either way.

[Kyuss]

Originally Posted by thegrun

If you are mixing the salt in the tank, it must be mixed before you add sand, otherwise salt crystals will be embedded in the sand and it could take a long time before they dissolve, giving you a false reading for salinity.

I agree, with the exception of if you have a sump. Then you can add the salt mix there. Add it to the skimmer chamber, or even the area for filter socks (ie. somewhere before the bubble traps going to the return pump) and anything that likes to settle out of suspension can easily be vacuumed out once the water is fully mixed.

[3dees]

ok, thanks. I'm only going with about an inch of sand so I'm not worried about the rock. I'll mix the salt and water before the sand. no sump so the mixing will have to be in the tank.