Live Sand Question

[debbers]

Can anyone answer this for me?
What's the difference between live sand, crushed coral, and aragonite?
My LFS sells bagged wet live sand, as well as dry bagged aragonite. They also have bulk dry aragonite and crushed coral (fine, med, and coarse).
I'm just wondering what the differences are, and which I should go with for a FOWLR 29g tank.
Thanks,
~Deb~

 

[glinton]

If I were you, I would buy about 40# of aragonite and about 10# live sand. You don't need all live sand, because the live sand will eventually make the rest of the sand live.
Live sand is just like the aragonite, except it has microbes on it that break down waste. Crushed coral is bigger in size than aragonite. Don't worry about buying any. It is not worth it.
Hope this helps
Good luck and have fun!

 

[debbers]

Yes, that does help.
I'm just starting out and there's so much to learn! Thank goodness I'm already familiar with the basics such as monitoring water, cycling, etc. from my FW experience.
Thanks for your input!