Rock first or Sand first

[TORMENTOR]

I am going to be settting my tank up soon and I have a question.

I have been told to put my rocks down first then to add the sand. Does it really matter? Whats the reasoning behind it?
Im afraid of having an avelanche in my tank and all the rock tumbles down and breaks the bottom glass. Id rather put the sand down first and then put the rocks ontop just for stability.

Whats your thoughts on this?

 

[Steviereefs]

Sand First

 

[jdd7781]

Logic behind rock first is to ensure rock work is planted firmly on glass. Sand under the rock can move/settle which may cause instability.

 

[Bootstrap]

Logic behind rock first is to ensure rock work is planted firmly on glass. Sand under the rock can move/settle which may cause instability.

This.. My goby would've caused a collapse otherwise

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[Downbeach]

+1 on rock first.

 

[that novice guy]

Deffinetly rock first and i think sand dose help support

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[T.W.]

I agree. I am a new Reefer myself but have read in numerous places that it is better to add the rock then Sand especially if you are planning on having sand dwelling creatures that burrow.

 

[Fatmike92]

Rock first for sure

 

[Electrobes]

Rock always first! As the others have said, you need to make sure your structure is stable enough not to depend on sand's cushioning effects.

 

[Steviereefs]

Man now my tank is gonna collapse. Im guilty, I put sand first, I have to go check something. Tanks for the advise guys!!!!

 

[TORMENTOR]

Thanks everyone, I will be putting the rocks down first for sure now. Now I just need to hook up my GFCI and then I can start putting this thing together. If I dont have to work this weekend it will be getting filled.

 

[ReeferBob]

A lot of people put egg-crate first, then rock, then substrate. If you have sand-sifting tank inhabitants this may not be the best way to go however.

 

[ReefPops]

Rock first is the way to go for sure! Good choice.

 

[that novice guy]

A lot of people put egg-crate first, then rock, then substrate. If you have sand-sifting tank inhabitants this may not be the best way to go however.

That's different I've never heard of today but that sounds cool

 

[grumpy-crab]

Well i can only speak from my own experiences but i always add 1/2 to 1" of sand to the tank then add my base rock which i twist into the sand till the base rock is firm on bottom. Then i fill the rest tje sand only leaving about 2" of base rock exposed and then once the sand storm settles over night i add my LR. I have never had a problem with rock slides or collapses in any of my tanks.

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[cdness]

A lot of people put egg-crate first, then rock, then substrate. If you have sand-sifting tank inhabitants this may not be the best way to go however.

That's what I did actually. It really helps spread out the weight of the rock and keeps the point force of the rock off the glass. Also the gridding helps keep the rock from sliding sideways since it has a good hold within the grid.

But yes rock before sand whether or not you use the egg-crate as well.

 

[galfer]

depends on inhabitants really i guess. i have a pistol/ywg pair and they burrow so i did rock first so nothing would shift

 

[AdeptMrSniffles]

+1 on egg crate, rock, and then sand.

 

[fragmatic]

Egg crate worries me about trapping protein in the little pockets. It makes good sense structure wise but maybe not so much eco wise. I'd like to hear some healthy debate about that, pros and cons.

One thing it may do is prevent your rocks from sliding out from under each other. As I recall rocks sliding around was an issue while aquascaping.

 

[Dave3112]

Egg crate for me. Never set up another tank without it. I only put it under the rocks not across the whole bottom of the tank. Then build my rock scape and fill sand in around everything.