Sand vs. No sand

[Jrod]

I

[hypertech]

Make sure you have good flow on the bottom of the tank so crud doesn't accumulate in dead spots.

[Coral Hind]

I have never placed anything under my rocks, just placed them directly on the glass bottom. Some people use a product like white Starboard on the bottom as it helps protect the glass from a rock falling.

[onux20]

As long as you are careful to place the rocks gently and in a manner that will prevent movement, you should be okay. Be careful when stacking the rock when you aquascape. I used two part reef epoxy to attach the rocks in order to create secure structures. Make sure you give it time to cure.

 

Others have talked about placing the rocks on acrylic pillars in order to keep the rock off the bottom and prevent dead spots.

 

FWIW, I wish I had gone BB with my new tank.

 

Good Luck.

Ron

[Jrod]

Hmmm, I googled aquarium starboard and found some interesting threads on BB tanks. Seems like there is a lot more work involved than I thought. I will definitely have to read more before I make a final decision.

 

 

[rangerD275]

Yeah, my next tank will definitely be bare bottom. I've also seen someone use an epoxy/ sand mix spread on starboard. After it cures it looks just like sand. Make sure you don't plan on keeping any livestock that needs sand. The only reason I still have sand now is because of my large melanarus wrasse.

[angel not fish]

There's a good reading at marine depot.

[Cliff Puckstable]

I'm going bare bottom on my 150g. I didn't use starboard or anything, I just stacked carefully on top of the glass. There is a good thread on RC about BB tanks. One guy has zoas growing along the bottom, it looks wicked.

[sen5241b]

Sand beds can become a big detritus trap. Good flow, floss will help prevent htis form happening but there has never been any perfect way to keep crud from collecitng in your sand over the long term.

[extreme_tooth_decay]

The tempered glass on the bottoms of our tanks is pretty tough, and most of our reef rock is pretty light.

 

Especially under water, I think it would be very hard if not impossible to break the glass with a rock.

 

I was surprised how hard it was to break it using a hammer.

 

I wouldn't worry about that at all.

Edited November 21, 2011 by extreme_tooth_decay