how to start sand bed 100 gallon help!

[briansreeftank19660426]

im getting a 100 gallon tank. i want to minimize my cost of the sand bed.. how little live sand can i get away with? 1/2? and how do i distribute the sand live on bottom covered with non livlinlg sand on top?
or dead stuff down low and live stuff on top? help!!!!! dont want to mess this up

 

[galina]

I would buy some play sand from home depot.. like 100 or 110 pounds, and get about 20 pounds LS. Rinse the playsand off throughly, and place it in the aquarium. After that, I would add water... (if you put a bowl in the bottom, and pour the water into it, letting it overflow onto the sand bed, it will cause less irritation). Last, with 3/4 of the mixed saltwater in the tank, I would add the livesand. Sprinkle it evenly and use your fingers like a rake the mix it up gently. Add the rest of the water, and start cycling. I would use 3 or 4 coctail shrimp on the bottom spread out evenly. Over a little time, you sandbed will become totally live.
Galina

 

[lordofthereef]

You really don't even need a sand bed in a reef tank. i only have about an inch in my 29 gallon. as for how to do it, put the dry sand on bottom, and then put a pound or two from a well established tank to seed it. then just wait. eventually the sand will be live. adding live rock also helps to seed the tank too.

 

[briansreeftank19660426]

HEY LORD U GOT filter on your sand bed 29 gallon? how does your small blue tang do in that tiny tank. i thought they had to be in 80 gallon plus? i use 4inch of dsb for added filtration.. ok kewl looked nice

 

[lordofthereef]

the only filtration on the 29 is a eco-system refugium that has been going for almost two years now. the tank is doing great, and there is so much more in it now then was in it in those pics. as for the tang, he was an aewsome fish. unfortuatly, he died when i moved him to a larger tank. i guess he was happier in the small one.

 

[reefin_with_jesus]

By the way, here's a great site that calculates how many pounds of sand you need for a desired depth in your tank:
<a href="http://www.purearagonite.com/SandBed.html" target="_blank">http://www.purearagonite.com/SandBed.html</a>

 

[joe's reefer]

for my 30 i need 37.5 lb for a 2inn sand bed and for 4inches its 75 lbs