You have asked a very good question.
I agree with what everyone has said. The larger particles eventually float to the top leaving the top of the sand covered with whatever the larger particles are.
Some larger stuff in one area of the sand looks nice. I think it's more natural looking.
The Sand Bed is one of the major sources of filtration in a reef aquarium. The amount of sand needed to do the job depends on the grain size. Here is a general rule of thumb:
1-2" Oolitic Sand
or
2-3" CaribSea Special Reef Grade
or
3-4" Crushed Coral
Sand weighs about 10 lbs/gal. To figure this out look at the calculation of aquarium volume:
Length x Depth x Height / 230 = tank capacity in gallons.
A 55 is 48"x12" For just one inch of sand 48x12x1 /230 = 2.5 gallons
2.5 gallons x 10 = 25 lbs.
That's for 1" of sand.
Since I like the look of Oolitic sand and the need for a shallower sand bed I would use a 5 gallon bucket(50lbs.) of Utah Oolitic Sand in a 55 gal aquarium. (I have plenty, come and get it
)
Also, if you read this thread, you will see that the more live stuff you use, that has been transported properly in water, the better the reef aquarium will do, and sooner too.
http://www.utahreefs.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=9244Here is an example of what I like. It also shows how I keep the sand bed open to allow for maximum filtration effectiveness.
Edited by Mark Peterson - May 20 2010 at 8:32pm
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