difference in live sand?

[chadb1]

hi, i am getting ready to replace the CC in my tank with LS from SWF.com, just wondering what the difference is in between the "premium keys sand $109 for 40 lbs" and the "natures ocean sand $50 for 40lbs" . I am going to need 120lbs for my 75 gallon and didnt really want to use the premium stuff that was twice as much. i allready have about 50 lbs of live rock and going to order another 50lbs of the premium LR when i order my LS. thanks in advance. the site is great.

 

[dmjordan]

the live sand from SWF is real live sand with micro organisms living in it. the bagged live sand you get from your local fish store is just dry argonite with bottle bacteria in it.

 

[ackermsb]

IMO: All you need is one bad of "live sand" from this site and fill the rest with play sand from homedepot. Eventually all your sand will become "alive" and you spent the bare minimum. You can search on here for the exact type of sand you need from HD or Lowes

 

[chadb1]

Originally Posted by dmjordan
the live sand from SWF is real live sand with micro organisms living in it. the bagged live sand you get from your local fish store is just dry argonite with bottle bacteria in it.

both of the sands i listed are from this site, i was curious if there was a difference in the 2. will the tank cycle any faster if it is all LS, even the cheap stuff? thanks.

 

[dmjordan]

the premium keys sand is going to be a better choice in my opinion.

 

[chadb1]

Originally Posted by dmjordan
the premium keys sand is going to be a better choice in my opinion.
ok then, do i use 40 lbs of that and the rest southdown play sand or the rest the cheaper natures ocean?

 

[dmjordan]

personal choice. in my opinion the more good live sand and live rock the better. your tank will be healthier faster. you can save big $$$ by using dry argonite, bagged live sand, play sand, and base rock but your tank will take longer to cycle and the non live stuff to become live. it took my base rock about a year for it to get coraline to grow on it even though i had live rock covered in coraline in the tank. base rock stayed white for a long time and you were able to see the color difference at a glance...bit of an eyesore to me. now you can't tell the difference between the two.