Since I'll be curing some live rock in the next month, I figured I'd ask now before I got to that point. I'm starting a new 90g tank off with sand, rocks, etc. My idea is to use 80 pounds of aragonite and mix in 10 lbs of live sand with it. I'm going to get 100 lbs. of "cured" live rock from my LFS.
The thing I don't know is this. Should I cure the live rock in the tank or in a new trash can? If I do cure the rock in the tank should I set it on top of the sand or should I leave the tank bare bottom? The LFS guy says it's a good idea to cure the rock with the sand in the tank as the sand will pick up some beneficial bacteria from the rock. I'm afraid the sand will get too "dirty" and will lead to problems later on.
Truthfully I'd rather cure it in the trashcan in the garage because I'm afraid my house will smell like a morgue if it's cured in the tank, but I'm also concerned about the plastics leaching into the water with the rock. My guess is it's just better to do it in the tank.
One last question. Is 80lbs. of sand too much? I've been reading at numerous sites that a 3/4" layer of sand is better than a thicker layer. I know that a bare bottom is supposedly better still but there's NO way I want a bare bottom tank!
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