Live vs. dry rock (and sand)

[curator]

Is the only disadvantage to using dry rock vs. live rock when setting up a new tank, just mean one has to wait longer for cycling to be sufficient?

What about supplementing dry rock with live rock and/or live sand?

Also in regard to sand, how does one know what size sand to use?

Thanks very much,

John

 

[seedless reefer]

When we first set up Lindas 33 we used a mix of live rock and base rock.

I think the rock got a good dose of micro organisms pretty quick from the live rock and live sand but it took until just recently that the rock got any color.

For a loooooooooong time the rocks were just a white, attention stealing eyesore.

 

[family reefer]

If you will keep any wrasses you should get the finer grained sand as the fish tend to bury themselves and coarse sand can injure them. The dry versus Live rock and sand are all about cycle time. I remember when dry was all there was and we would have to wait months to put anything in the tank. We still sell dry to people that come in the store and can't/won't pay for live stuff. They still cycle but it takes much longer.

 

[george]

For sand, as mentioned some of it depends on the species you want to keep. However if you want the sand to be part of the filtration system instead of just an aesthetic item, you'll want to get a mixture of grades ranging from sugar-fine to 1.0mm-2.0mm and mix them. You'll need enough to make a minimum of 4" depth, but a better target is 5"-6" depth.

One thing that is neglected regarding a true deep sand bed as a filter is that since it serves the same purpose as live rock, your rock requirements drop considerably so you don't need to jamb a ton of live rock into the display in addition to the sand bed.