Live Sand...do I HAVE to add it?

[phishy]

I have about 100lbs of Southdown in my 72 Gal. tank (which is in it's 2nd week of the cycle). I purchased 10lbs of LS really cheap, but I am not sure if I want to add it. You see, it is crushed agronite and may not look too good with my Southdown.
How long will it take my Southdown to become LS if I don't seed it (I have 100lbs of LR)? How important is it to seed it? Am I making a mistake by not seeding it? How long will the LS stay live? It has been sitting in a ziplock bag for 3 weeks. If I HAVE to seed my southdown, can I just put the LS in places where it can't be seen too easily?
Thanks in advance....

 

[thankgod4fish]

Adding LS isn't absolutley necessary, but it does help in speeding up the establishment of the beneficial bacteria and sand bed critters. If you don't add it, your base sand will become LS, it'll just take longer. The base will become "live" in a relatively short amount of time in terms of being populated by bacteria (a few months) from your LR but the pods and worms and such will take a bit longer or have to be introduced if there are none with your LR (I believe).
I think if you put in the LS in patches here and there, so as to hide it, you'll get the same effect as the beneficial critters will spread either way. It'll just take longer for them to populate the areas of your sand bed that didn't have the LS on it.
As far as how long your LS will be live in a ziploc bag, I'm not really sure.

 

[jsb]

I know this is a little late but...I would have layered it underneath the SD. If you don't mind stirring it up you could still possibly do that.

 

[phishy]

I thought about that...but heard that LS had to be on top...

 

[jsb]

Hmmm. I wonder why. If you did all LS some would have to be on bottom. Maybe to seed you need to start it on top. I would think spreading it and maybe putting it behind LR or other stuff would work.

 

[daniel411]

Is there water in with the ziplock bag? A zip lock bag added to an obscure place, such as behind some live rock, wouldn't disturb your southdowns appearance to much. It will eventually move around though.
If your live rock is really alive and filled with pods, worms, etc... it won't take long to begin establishing themselves in your live sand. I wouldn't worry about it either way.

 

[lesleybird]

Pour in some cycle or other liquid bacteria product made to help cycle the tank. You can get some amphipods and copepods etc. that come off of the live rock...if not on this rock, some cured live rock out of your LFS tank later. Lesley

 

[dreeves]

Your live sand in the ziploc is dead now...rinse it well if you decide to add it in the tank...
If you have a 100#'s of LR...it will provide some life forms for your sand...some of the worms and other critters probably would only show up in actual LS...the 25# deal here is a good example...it will add the required life forms to do your sand bed good...
Adding additives such as Cycle and others mentioned above will do nothing for the creation of LS...there is far more to sand then bacteria...