- Today on the 5 Minute Saltwater Aquarium Guide,
it's time for rock and sand.
We're talkin' dry versus live sand.
Depth, how much, which type to pick,
and the best way to build a stable aquascape,
all in under five minutes.
(upbeat music)
Hey I'm Ryan, your host of BRStv
and the 5 Minute Saltwater Aquarium Guide.
This is clear, simplified, and a direct path
to setting up a successful first reef tank.
Today rock and sand have already gone in these tanks.
Live rock and sand are partially there for aesthetics
and simply makin' the tank look nice,
but more so, they're there as the most important
filter in the tank.
Beneficial bacteria populate the rock and sand
and breakdown uneaten foods and fish waste
or filter the tank for you.
Which is cool, because rock and sand are hard to mess up.
It's called live rock and live sand because
of that beneficial bacteria that lives
on the surface of the rocks.
Some types are more live than others though.
Wet rock you get from the holding tanks
at a fish store, the most live.
Damp rock like Real Reef, semi-live.
And dry rock, not live at the moment.
But once all these are added to the tank,
they all very rapidly become live rock.
There are different reasons to select
or recommend the various types of rocks.
But for a first tank, the number one goal
is the easiest path to a successful sharp-looking tank,
followed closely with a reasonable cost.
The easiest or fastest path is probably pre-cured
live rock from a fish store, it's also the most expensive.
Often eight to 10 dollars a pound and can come
with some funky pests that may bother you down the road.
Flip side of that is dry rock, like Marco's Reef Saver
which is about a third of that price at three bucks a pound.
This type of rock is very likely the most commonly
used rock these days because it's pest free
and so inexpensive, but it takes a bit
more patience up front.
I'll be frank, patience is not a trait of many new
reefers and we should just own that.
So the balance of all that and what we're recommending
to new reefers in the 5 Minute Guide on their first tank
is Real Reef rock.
This rock is shipped damp and been cured in salt water
for five months and has dormant bacteria on its surface.
But more importantly, has a lower degree of risk
than real live wet rock on oddball pests.
Maybe more important than that, the purple color
looks nice day one.
It's also right in the middle of the price conversation.
About six bucks a pound.
Real Reef is just a good balance
of objectives for a new reefer.
In this case, we selected a 55 pound box of Real Reef rock.
Most people are going to get a pound
or pound and a quarter per gallon of tank size.
Havin' a couple extra pieces almost always results
in a more desirable aquascape.
So don't be worried if you don't use every
last piece in the box.
I'll guarantee that you find a use for them down the road.
More or less, we're gonna stack the rock right on the glass.
The goal is just a stable formation,
which you find visually interesting.
But I have a few tips.
First, don't go higher than two-thirds of the tank
because we need to leave room for coral growth.
Try and resist the temptation to simply
make a mound, use some negative space.
Meaning peaks, overhangs, cave-type structures.
Not only is this visually interesting,
but this is the habitat for fish.
Many fish are shy, and if you create a smart aquascape,
they can actually hide in plain sight.
I'd also pick up a few tubes of the extra thick
BRS super glue gel, in a 20 gram tube.
The tube is just easier to manage than versus a bottle.
Then put a generous amount on the locations
where the rocks connect to create longterm stability.
The goal is to lock the points where the rock touches
without seein' it, and why I suggest super glue
rather than epoxy.
I suggest the extra thick super glue because it holds
its shape while drying, it's clear and easy to hide.
Try using it in locations where you won't see it later.
In terms of sand, this is simpler because I
have one very specific suggestion,
the CaribSea special grade sand is the grain size
we strongly recommend, and what almost every
reefer at BRS uses.
The grain size is attractive, but stays put
better than smaller sizes.
A good rule of thumb is one pound per gallon
of water for somewhere around an inch sand bed.
But I think 30 pounds is probably adequate
for either of these tanks.
I wouldn't go deeper than an inch just because
you just want to be able to clean it.
Deeper than an inch tends to collect a lot
of the tanks waste and become the tank's toilet.
Over an inch just is a bigger challenge to keep clean.
Just pour the water and sand into the tank
and surround the rock work.
The water that comes in the bag contains some
beneficial dormant bacteria.
There's also a water clarification packet
you can use after filling the tank.
The reason we do the sand after the rock
is because we want the rock to sit directly
on the glass for longterm stability,
and then fill in the sand around it.
So this is what the tank looks like with rock and sand.
The next logical question is, of course,
how do I water for a saltwater aquarium,
so let's fill it.
The entire Saltwater Aquarium Guide
is always available here, but if you want
to make proper fresh water for a saltwater tank
done correctly, it's one of the easiest things
related to the tank.
That's next.