New tank - some questions

[Kellyscoral]

Hi all.... I have been pondering a new tank for some time now and today I have one! Previous tank was a 20 gallon tall with a huge mountain like rock that I hated. New tank is a 30 gallon IM. I have both a radion XR15pro and an AI Prime (never have used it) - will probably stick with the radion since I am familiar with it. Is the AI Prime better? I did not previously use a skimmer but have purchased a PSK 75H skimmer for the new tank.

I am leaning towards bare bottom with this tank - is there any reason why using sand is better? Do corals prefer it?

Filling it up and plugging in the heater tomorrow then off to buy live rock. i will be getting a selection of smaller removeable pieces instead of large rocks.

If anyone has any tips or tricks on aquascaping this tank I would love to hear them! Thanks!!

[kien]

I think barebottom is just a matter of perference. I've seen lots of flourishing tanks with both sanded and bare bottom. There are more important things to consider, probably :-)

I personally don't like the look of bare bottom. I tried it on a tank once and hated it. There are those who can not stand sand. There is no right or wrong answer :biggrin:

[Dearth]

As Kien said everything in this hobby is about your personal preference there is no one answer for this hobby which can suck

Bare bottom vs sand is all in the eye of the beholder some people love the bare bottom look and maintain bare bottoms are easier to care for. Sand or crushed coral bottoms add their own particular flair and beauty to a tank and sand is a requirement for certain species of fish and inverts.

As to lights both are good but if you are familiar with Radions stay with them why mess with something that works

As to aquascaping again its personal preference but some features that are somewhat nessecary are hidey holes for your fish the more hiding spots available the more likely your fish will stay in the open where they can be seen rather than guarding their hiding spot if limiting their hiding spots.

Caves or over hangs are also a nice feature and fish are attracted to them like moths to a flame

Experiment and feel free to ask questions never be afraid to ask as its the worst thing you can do in this hobby is not ask even if you think its stupid