My first salt, 90 gallons

There is more than 1/4 inch of sand in there....you can just only "see" 1/4 inch. The rest is hidden by bottom rim/stand.

Where the glass starts to show to you is not the bottom of the tank, I would guess there is at least another inch under there. Another bucket or so of sand and you will be fine. That being said, I have some I am not using.


Edited by McClure - May 01 2012 at 3:25pm

BobC63 wrote: When in doubt, stick a ruler into the sand and see how high up the sand goes

Genius!!!

And, you should put sand in AFTER the rocks. Otherwise, creatures will move the sand under the rocks, and you'll get a rock slide. You'll use less sand that way too. I'd pile your sand up on one side of the tank as best as possible, place your rocks, then slide the sand back.

well lately it has been set back after set back... doesnt look like i will be plumbing this coming week... still need a durso kit for my tank and acrylic for my sump.. not happening anytime soon... maybe this is the wrong hobby... 

so we start plumbing this weekend!! so excited!! this weeks step... silicone my acrylic into my sump and find rock!! i am hearing that since this a new tank with new sand it would be beneficial, and affordable to start with some lace rock... the search begins!!!! 

i am SOOOOOOOO excited!! seems like it has been the longest process ever!!!!!

ok so we are now cycling!!! big props to Akira (Kurt) big help in the plumbing department!!! i still have some work on my sump to do, leaky dividers... so i am thinking i am going to pull all the acrylic out of this tank and put into another tank of the same size and just pull the old switch-a-roo!!! well maybe.. may just shut it all down and pull and clean and pull and clean and use an extra tank just to keep the cycle going.. anyway here are some pics.. oh and the last pics are the skimmer that came with the set up... neither i nor Kurt could figure out how to run it.. so if anyone knows please let me know.. it has this little pump with it... i just dont know 

A few thoughts on reef rock: I have experience, but in no way claim to be THE expert, so if someone has a different opinion, please share. in my experience, it doesn't really matter how much you pay for the rock, as long as it meets some critical criteria. First, it must not leach toxic or unwanted substances into the water. Along with that, rock and sand that is composed of calcium carbonate is highly recommended because it will actually help maintain appropriate CA & alk levels in the water (though there is some debate on the extent to which this is true). Secondly, generally, the more porous, the better. You want rock that provides TONS of little places for beneficial microorganisms to thrive. Aerobic bacteria can colonize the outer layers of the rock while anaerobic bacteria can grow in the deep, inner reaches where there is little oxygen and flow. Both types of bacteria are essential for the overall health of the reef. In addition to bacteria, porous rocks provide good homes for beneficial "pods" (copepods, etc.) Also, it is usually best to build your reef with an open structure. I have serviced hundreds of tanks, and most of the really successful, and consequently maintenance-free, tanks use a combination of good porous rock, and a fairly open reef structure to allow for good circulation and minimize "dead" zones. This is true with fish-only tanks as well as full reef tanks.
Again, these are just my thoughts on rock, and others are likely to have somewhat different opinions. The bottom line is that you want to create an environment that will sustain a complete and stable ecosystem, and there are often many ways to accomplish that. I find that a few things done "right" in the beginning can save you a LOT of headache and $ in the future. Best of luck with everything. This is a freaking awesome hobby!