Substrate opinion

[Beastije]

So my planned ( very soon to be) tank is going to have a lot of rocks, fine gravel, stones and sand.
I do not plan any plants that need to root in the substrate except maybe one small cryptocoryne for which I can make a special place.

I want to put something like egg crate or plastic piece under the stones to protect the glass. Do I need to put sand under the large rocks too, or is it better to just put it around the stones?
I watched several videos and several aquascapers, some put sand under the rocks, some position rocks and then put in the sand, so I am not sure.
Ofcourse I expect I will have to play around with it and see how it looks, but just checking if there is any benefit of having the sand under the stones or not. Also at this point I only have a bucket of sand ready, if more is needed, I need to clean the pool filtration before I do the tank, so planning is required

 

[Byron]

I would caution that it depends upon the size of the rock/stones, and the intended fish. If the rock is substantial, each piece can sit on the bottom glass with the sand then placed around it. Any movement of the rock is unlikely to hit the bottom glass this way. Some fish are good excavators. I have had loaches (Botia kubotai) dig under wood and rock, and I had a pleco (a 4-inch species) do this extraordinarily well, creating quite large "caves."

 

[Beastije]

I heard protecting the glass was safest, from the glass maker and other scapists? They use polystyren but i don't like that
I plan to have white minnows, panda garra and hillstream loaches, neither is a good digger. I will not go for the snails like faunus after or the mussels in order to not have the substrate disturbed?

 

[ella777]

I heard protecting the glass was safest, from the glass maker and other scapists? They use polystyren but i don't like that
I plan to have white minnows, panda garra and hillstream loaches, neither is a good digger. I will not go for the snails like faunus after or the mussels in order to not have the substrate disturbed?

I've never had any glass protectors, my glass isnt scratched or ruined.

 

[GaryE]

@Byron's point is the one I 'scape by. It depends on what the tank will be. Do the fish dig? You have to know that in advance. Do they mouth sand to feed? How static do you like things to be? Will you introduce fish for whom you have to change the decor? And, as a side note, has there even been a happy Crypt that stayed single and didn't spread like mad?

Aquariums are very dynamic, so forget rocks that stay in one place. Put the substrate in and the rocks on top. If you get cave diggers, lift the rocks up, create support so no one gets crushed, and put them back. Or put them somewhere else.

I have known a lot of aquascapers, and most rescape monthly. The Vallisneria is always greener, the perfect set up is imperfect, a new rock is found on a walk - or new fish are found and things move around.