Gruve Wants To Know - Live Rock / Live Sand

[gruve]

Hi all, I've been researching saltwater aquariums for about 2 weeks straight now in hopes of getting launched in this awesome hobbie. I'm going to post a few of these "Gruve Wants To Know" posts in hopes of getting good info on the various systems involved in keeping a nice reef setup.
I've got a pretty big technical and science background so I do want to do this right in that I'll be able to experiment with different varieties of verts/inverts, corals, clams, anemones, etc. I don't necessarily need to be able to host ALL species, but keeping a good range would be ideal.
So On To...
--Gruve Wants To Know -- Live Rock and Sand --
So I've looked a bit into live rock online and at the LFS. One of the most interesting things I found online was an article about making Live rock from coarse Argonite and cement. I'd be afraid of this leaching chemicals into the water but man.. think of the cool forms you could make. Has anyone tried this?
Also, with the different varieties like fiji and florida live rock, is there really much difference between them? Also what dictates the color of the rock, I'm guessing algae and if so, what dictates what color algae you have?
Also, as far as live sand is concerned, would it take very long for just plain argonite to become LS if you stuck it in with LR, or should you do a mix of LS and argonite to start to get things rolling?
And, here's a question I havent seen on any forum... I live about 20 miles from a beach, South Padre Island, and I wonder, is there any reason why I couldn't use certain things from the wild such as sand, shells, or rock. My only concern would be disease or pollutants. I also wonder if I could introduce species of inverts or even fish from the wild.
The LFS guy said I'd need about 1lbs per gallon, but to me that seems high, and to be honest, I think a lot of reef aquariums seem overloaded. Maybe its just me but I'd like to have some sandy area too in the aquarium to create a more diverse environment.
Anyway, appreciate any info you guys can offer!
---- Keep an Eye Out for other "Gruve Wants To Know" posts as I try to get the info I need to get a nice setup going and get the most for my money.... and help the rest of us beginners get answers to the questions we all have, or maybe its just me :notsure:

 

[birdy]

1. making your own rock- lots of stuff out there on this research agrocrete, basically you cure this rock for a long time to get all the stuff that will leach out. It is good for base rock and a few structures but does not replace some of the aspects of good LR (anaerobic zone for processing nitrates is the biggie).
2. My favorite rock is tonga or Kaelini (sp?) these types of rock have really neat shapes not just the round look like Figi, or the concrete look like FL rock. Most of the color on LR will go away and new will come back depending on your lights and tank conditions (pH, alk, Ca).
3. LS, I recommend putting mainly dry aragonite sand down then seeding it with some high quality LS (stuff from someone else refugium is the best).
4. I would not recommend you use anything from the beach, too much polution, if you want to use shells I would boil them first.
5. I recommend at least 1lb per gallon of LR (this is your main biological filtration), it really is not that much you will see, a lot of people have more like 2-3lbs per gallon.

 

[gruve]

Birdy, Awesome, thanks for the info!
So in regard to seeding the LS, I wonder how much or what percentage of LS to argonite can be used to get the sand going. I guess what I'd like to know is how little LS can I use to seed the argonite(save some $ to spend elsewhere), and how long would it take for the seeding process to finish.
Also, I'm guessing the LR also helps seed the Argonite to make LS?
Thanks again for the info, much appreciated!

 

[birdy]

yes, the LR will also seed the sand so you really don't need much LS, a few cups from someones refugium should be plenty.