Instructions for Aquarium Sand Bed Filtration

If a marine, or saltwater, aquarium is set up properly, Mother Nature will do most of the work keeping it clean. A sand bed filtration system accomplishes this by giving beneficial bacteria a place to thrive, creating anaerobic areas essential for the conversion of nitrate to nitrogen gas. Most sand bed filtration systems don't need external filters, although a protein skimmer or foam fractionator is often added to remove organic compounds before they decompose, lightening the load on the sand bed filtration system.

Things You'll Need

Aquarium
Old aquarium water
Enough live sand with grains between 0.05 mm and 0.2 mm to create between 4 inches to 6 inches of sand bed
Protein skimmer or foam fractionator
1½ lbs. live rock per gallon
Reef grunge from live rock curing vat or mature sand bed
Detrivores and sand sifters -- copepods, amphipods, brittle stars, bristle worms
Marine aquarium testing kit
Marine fish

Instructions

- 1
  Soak the new sand in old aquarium water from one to two weeks to remove potential toxins.
- 2
  Drain the sand.
- 3
  Install the protein skimmer, which is basically a column of bubbles that helps remove organic compounds before they break down.
- 4
  Put the live rock in the middle of the aquarium. Live rock, a limestone rock embedded with remains of coral and other sea creatures, comes naturally from the ocean and can be purchased in a marine aquarium shop.
- 5
  Add sand around the live rock up to the required depth. Be sure most of the live rock is above the surface of the sand.
- 6
  Add new marine water to the aquarium.
- 7
  Seed the sand bed with reef grunge, a mixture of sand, coral rubble and the like that's available at some aquarium supply stores or from a friend's healthy sand bed system.
- 8
  Run the aquarium at least two weeks.
- 9
  Test the water to ensure appropriate nitrogen levels.
- 10
  Add fish.