Crushed coral or sand

[jrein40806]

Hello. I am really happy about finding this site, it has helped answer many questions that I have had since starting my 75 gal tank 2 weeks ago.
One question I still have though is about what to use for the bottom of the tank. The local store --tsmart told me that CC was fine to use, but I have read on here where many people feel that LS is the better choice. So far I have put in 3-50 lb bags of CC and I have 25 lbs of live rock and 60 lbs of dead rock. Down the road I want to have corals. Is it necessary to switch over to LS? Also is it ok to use Playsand from Home Depot and then buy some LS from SWF.com to mix in with it? How much sand would I need for my 75 gal tank? Can I mix some of the CC in with the sand or must all the cc be taken out? Sorry this post is so long!! Thanks for any answers to my questions.

 

[spuds]

I was in the same position a few weeks ago and not one person said to go with the CC. I have started my aquarium with the Sand and its alot better, for one, the critters can get through it and clean your tank a lot better!!! You can throw away the vaccum if you go with the sand.

 

[mchandler]

L I V E S A N D ! ! !

 

[flamingkingofhe]

deep sand bed most people who go with cc end up to rue this

 

[elan]

i had CC when i set mine up... then switched to sand... the sooner you do it, the better.

 

[brewercm]

I was in the same boat as you and just recently changed over after three and half years with CC. Love the way it looks over the CC. Checked all of my test levels and they came out excellent even the trates were so low they really didn't even register. I may spike a little bit but so far haven't.
It was fairly easy if you have some large containers to save the old water in along with rock and all.
I bought bags of sand from the pet store, of course more expensive than if you get some from HW store if available without silicate. Then seeded with one bag of live sand, of course my live rock had been in there for several years to help also.

 

[zafirablanca]

sand.

 

[tangman99]

Gotta go with the sand. I was also a CC user in the beginning. Switching was one of the best things I ever did.

 

[hhands361]

I would say either is fine. While sand has its good sides, so does CC. I have used CC since i started with reef tanks and have had no problems.

 

[nas19320]

IMO I would go with sand. I just switched about 2 weeks ago after having CC for 2 years. Its not impossible to have a tank with a CC substrate as some can prove but I think in the long run sand will be easier to keep and will help keep nitrates down more than CC would. I also like the look of sand better. Just my opinion.

 

[jrein40806]

Thanks for all the replies. I made the switch. It was a mess but I really like the LS much better than the CC.