# wat goes in the tank first water or the live sand and rock



## darren818 (Oct 17, 2007)

i new at this i want to know, so i put the water first or sand and rock, wat kind of water so i use?


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## caferacermike (Oct 3, 2006)

You need to have your water mixed and ready to go in. Some folks will use tap water mixed with salt, I use RO/DI only with Seachem Reef. When you are ready to do the set up place the rock on the bottom of the tank, if you are scared of it breaking through you can buy a sheet of "eggcrate" at Hdepot for $8 and cut it to fit. It's like a plastic buffer so the rock doesn't touch the bottom. Look for it in the lighting section. After your "base" is set, pour your sand into place. Placing rock directly upon the sand allows dead spots to develop and this can easily cause nitrite build ups under the rock where the sand never moves. Also it can be dangerous to place rock onto the sand if any sand dwelling creatures are added. They can burrow underneath the rock causing it to slide, this in turn allows the rocks above to slide and break the side glass. Once you are set up transfer the water into the tank. I use a small pump and tubing to transfer my water from a 45g Rubbermaid Brute can into the tank. By placing the tube end over some rocks or a dinner plate you can significantly lower the amount of sand you kick up into the water. It may take a week for the water to clear up. I've never had to wait longer than 8 hours.


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