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MATERIALS LIST:
 | 1" PVC pipe cut into 2-3" pieces to be used as risers for the
grid
| sheet of egg crate used as the grid
| enough PVC window screen to cover the grid
| enough bags of aragonite sand with 1-2 mm grain size to create a 4"
layer of sand
| several pounds of live sand or a detrivore kit to seed the sand bed with
micro fauna
| electrical cable ties |
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The Plenum:
| Take the sheet of egg crate and cut to the size of the bottom of the
aquarium, less one inch. For example, if the aquarium bottom is 48 x 24, cut
the egg crate to 47 x 23. |
| Take the 2-3" pieces of PVC and attach them length-wise to the egg
crate with the cable ties. Make sure to spread them evenly so that the egg
crate is well supported. Now you have the "grid". |
| Now wrap the grid with the window screen like you would a present. Make
sure that the grid is well sealed so that no sand can make it's way in. You
now have the plenum. |
| Place the plenum in the aquarium. |
The Sand Bed:
| Rinse the aragonite sand well, preferably with RO/DI water. |
| Add some rinsed sand into the tank and back fill the space between the aquarium
walls and the plenum. This will hide the plenum from view. |
| Continue to add the aragonite sand a layer at a time. After each layer is
added, add enough salt water to bring the water level to same height as the
sand. Work as much air out of the sand by stirring it with your hands. |
| Once all the aragonite is added, you can fill the aquarium with salt water
and add the live sand or detrivore kit to seed the sand bed. |
| If possible, allow the sand bed to "settle in" for a couple of
weeks before adding the live rock and inverts. In the interim, you can
"feed" the sand with a small amount of fish food each day. |
The Aquascape:
| Make sure to construct the aquascape as loosely and open as possible. This
will allow good water flow throughout the tank which is important to the
health of the tank. |
| When creating the reef structure, make sure to maintain as much of the
sand bed exposed and unobstructed by rock as possible. Strive for a 70%
exposed sand bed. Placing to much rock on the sand bed will inhibit the sand
beds ability to filter the water of nutrients. |
| Place power heads in areas where they will create a nice current across
much of the sand bed. |
Maintenance:
| Disturb the sand as little as possible. Vacuuming the sand is not
necessary and is actual detrimental. The sand bed will be maintained
"clean" by the micro fauna populating the sand. |
| Do not add any sand stirring critters such as Jaw fish or burrowing
Starfish. These will quickly decimate the micro fauna populations necessary
to maintaining this type of system healthy. |
| Routinely add small amounts of live sand or additional detrivore kits to
keep micro fauna populations at desired levels. |
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