substrate or live rock first

[yankee3479]

I am going to start my 90 gal this week. First time with saltwater.
I have a few questions
I have 200lbs of southdown and I am expecting 100 lbs of LR this Thurs. Do i put the Southdown in first or the LR. I am going to have a DSB 4-5 inches and I did not know if LR should go on top of it or be buried in it

Question 2. Do I need any other filtration/Aeration in my tank. I Have A Tidepool Wet/Dry with a turboflotor 1000 Protein skimmmer in the sump. Do I need any powerhead or wavemaker inside the tank at this Time?


Thanks

ED

[SeanT]

Hi,
Go ahead and put your sand in...but only put about a half inch in the back.
The reason for this is to 'pad' the glass from possible sharp points on the glass.
Most tanks have tempered glass on the bottom and if the get a hard enough rap...


As for a powerhead. By 'at this time' are you cycling the tank?
If so...couldn't hurt.

[colemanitis]

I agree, sand first, rock second.

[NorthCoast]

I guess I'm different. I like to place the rock first and fill with sand. This way the rock structure is firmly on the bottom of the tank. I aways felt that by placing rock on the sand layer that it opens up the potential for the sand and structure both to move over time.

For establishing a new setup is doesn't matter, but, it is more a personal comfort level in building your structure. :)

Later,
NC