Reef reconfiguration

Jeff2018 · Feb 26, 2018

I will be upgrading to 90 from my current 29....wondering if I should go B.B. or if I should have some live sand...?
As well looking for creative live rock formation ideas to help utilize the larger tank space.....

Tautog · Feb 26, 2018

I like sand, and there are some benefits
Some glue all the rocks together, but I don’t think that’s best. As your tank grows and matures, your ideas change as well as the tank. I’ve changed my landscaping several times, adding and subtracting. The best ideas I can give : 1- try to use as few rocks in the sand, more rocks above the sand, greater water flow
2- mix your rock up, have shelving, branches with holes, and Tonga branches
*** Be sure to cure your rock if your buying Live/Dry Rock, 6 week minimum, longer if You can

Daniel Waters · Feb 27, 2018

If you like the look of sand, use it. If you want to have sand critters such as wrasses that like to burrow at night or gobies you will need sand. There are also some corals that do better on top of sand than bare bottom. Biologically, you can certainly get by without sand, as skimmers, refugiums, biopellet reactors, ceramic media, and other developments in the hobby have helped reduce our reliance on natural methods such as live rock and sand. Some of the benefits of going bare bottom is that many people find they can more easily siphon detritus from the bottom (versus your sand becoming a nutrient sink), you can really crank the flow up without having to worry about sand storms, and you can do some other unique things such as growing corals on the bare bottom and / or letting coraline cover it eventually.

I've done both before. I like the look of my sand, but it's a bit more work to keep clean like I like. However, I have a diamond goby and a wrasse that sand bed dives each night....I can't imagine not having those guys in my tank!