arag-alive sand vs LS

[bkc978]

I am looking at replacing the CC in my 45G tank with sand. I have decided I will start with about a 1" shallow SB.
My dilemma is this - I read somewhere that if you are going to have LR (which i am doing in a month or so), then you don;t need to buy LS, becuase the critters from the LR will crawl down into the sand and make it LS :notsure: .
So, now- what should i buy, I don;t want to spend more than I need to, but don't mind buying the right thing the first time (i have learned that lesson!

)
Fiji LS (swf) - 20#=$60
Arag-alive Fiji pink sand (has bacteria, but no worms/pods) =20#=$30
Aragonite- dry - 30# = $25
Meridian oolitic (helps buffer Ph better then aragonite??true?) - 20# = $20
thanks for any input!!

 

[thangbom]

just regular dry argonite sand will do... but if u use the other sruff it will be ok to.. but the thing you want is diversity.. that go's the same for your rock.. every tank is different.. so what i'm trying to do is.. when i find a fellow reefer.. i ask if they want to do a 'cup of sand' trade.. 1 cup of mine for 1 of theres. that way my sand can be as divers as possible.. and about the rock diversity.. ill trade a small chunk of mines for a equal.. just so i can have diferent types of lr bacteria and algea..

 

[bkc978]

Ok- I guess that makes sense, so maybe I will buy 10# LS from swf and 30# dry aragonite and go with a slightly deeper sand bed (I wanted to go deeper, but can;t really drop too much $$ right now - I figured i could always add more later)
thanks!

 

[tombonius]

to answer the above question: Arag-alive is a waste of money...

 

[wax32]

I like the CarribSea wet "live" sand... It doesn't make quite as much cloudiness in your tank as dry sand when you first put it in. And I got it for way cheaper than 30 a bag... less than 20 even.

 

[hot883]

Originally Posted by BKC978
I am looking at replacing the CC in my 45G tank with sand. I have decided I will start with about a 1" shallow SB.
My dilemma is this - I read somewhere that if you are going to have LR (which i am doing in a month or so), then you don;t need to buy LS, becuase the critters from the LR will crawl down into the sand and make it LS :notsure: .
So, now- what should i buy, I don;t want to spend more than I need to, but don't mind buying the right thing the first time (i have learned that lesson!

)
Fiji LS (swf) - 20#=$60
Arag-alive Fiji pink sand (has bacteria, but no worms/pods) =20#=$30
Aragonite- dry - 30# = $25
Meridian oolitic (helps buffer Ph better then aragonite??true?) - 20# = $20
thanks for any input!!
On a 45 gal tank you will need WAY more LRthan 20 lbs. I'm thinking like 60-80 more lbs! Recommended to have 1 1/2-2 lbs. per gal. Normal sand will become LS with time. I need to take out my CC too. I already have 55 lbs. of sand in my 55 with around 85 lbs. of LR. I too need 50 lbs. more.

 

[wax32]

Nowhere in this thread does he say how much LR he plans to add. He is comparing prices of various 20 pound bags of sand.

 

[thangbom]

ohh and about how many lbs of sand... well actually.. it's all in the eye of the beholder.. there is and probaly always will be a debate on sand beds.. from bare bottom to shallow to deep...all have there con and pluses.. so all in all.. it's the owners choice..

 

[bkc978]

Thanks for all the great advice - I will do some research on CaribSea sand mentioned above, Wax, thanks.
I am going t add LR by how it ends up looking oin the tank - but from what I have gathered so far I guesstimate the avg to be about 1# per gallon. I guess I'll end up trying 25#, see what it looks like, and add more until i am happy.
According to the calculator on this wensite - 20# sand would give me about 1 1/4 inch SB (tank is 12x36x24H). If I went owith 30# dry aragonite (or maybe CaribSea) on the bottom, and put 10# LS on top I think tha would be a good start.
Thanks again for all the advice!!