# a few things



## onefish2fish (Jul 22, 2008)

ok, more progress on my tank today.. got the eggcrate tile and cut it for a perfect fit in my 46gallon bowfront  and 60lbs of ocean direct carribean live sand.. before adding the sand my water params were SG 1.022-1.023
pH-8.2 temp. 78.2F..didnt bother testing trites,trates or amonia because there hasnt been anything in the tank yet..
anyways i was told not to prerinse the sand, which i kinda figured because of the bacterias in it.. but man is my water cloudy.. i guess some of the cloudiness went away but its still got it.. im in no rush but about how long should it take to settle? and there is some foam on the waters surface that i originally net-ed off but then put back because i was thinking thats the bacteria "activating" ( like how yeast does ) it doesnt bother me for the time being but should it be left or scooped off? im sure when i build my overflow and sump it will disapear, should i just leave it until i do that?
that brings up another question.. i have an empty 45 gallon tank for a sump/refugium  im happy because my tank is 46 and my sump will be 45, which is doubling my tank.. but my question is i have a fluval 304 canister and i was wondering if i should take out the drawers, maybe fill it will some rubble live rock and put it on my tank? if anything for the added water movement..what does everyone think of that?


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

onefish2fish said:


> ok, more progress on my tank today.. got the eggcrate tile and cut it for a perfect fit in my 46gallon bowfront


Eggcrate and live sand in the same tank? Explain.


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## Cody (Dec 22, 2007)

I beleive he is the same maker of the thread that asked about this.

It means that he had eggcrate under the sand to support the tank. I have it myself, and I know a lot of people that do.

I also have a question...are you sure the stand can fit a 45G tank in it?


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

Cody said:


> I beleive he is the same maker of the thread that asked about this.
> It means that he had eggcrate under the sand to support the tank. I have it myself, and I know a lot of people that do.


Yes Cody, the use of a plenum system is well known. I am one of the biggest supporters of denitrification systems that you will ever meet. However, plenum systems generally do not use live sand because the particle size is not correct for such setups. Effective plenums normally use an aragonite substrate of larger particle size. Live sand systems are usually placed directly on the bottom of the aquarium, without the use of egg crate or screening. 

These facts are widely accepted in hobby and supported by almost all recent literature you will find on the use of plenums and live sand substrates. I just read a magazine article detailing this exact conversation. I will try to dig it up to state my reference, but it was written in August 2008, so the information is extremely current.

This is where my questions come into play. The exact details of the plenum design will be critical to the success of this system. 

Onefish- How did you design the plenum?
Cody - Did your system use live sand, or dry aragonite? How did you design your system.

I can't emphasis enough the importance of this conversation. If you do this wrong, your system will become a nutrient rich nightmare.


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## Pasfur (Mar 29, 2008)

Here is a great article from the world wide expert on the topic, Bob Goemans:

http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/guest/goemansandgamble/sandbedspart1.htm

http://www.saltcorner.com/sections/guest/goemansandgamble/sandbedspart2.htm

Bottom line... incorrect sand size can lead to anaerobic areas, rather than anoxic areas. And sand size varies depending on plenum or DSB systems. DSB's may not be as effective, but have less risk of nutrient accumulation.

Read read read....


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