LR, LS, and DSB

[tang_man_montreal]

Hey everyone..
As many of you know, I've been asking lots of questions... Here's some more.
I need to know how much playsand, LS, LR, and baserock to buy to set up my aquariums. I'm going for a FO tank, with LS and LR for bio-filtration.
I have a 29g tank and will be getting either a 77g or 108g tank. How much Playsand, LS, LR, and baserock are recommended for these tanks? I would like to have a 4" DSB.
Thank you everyone for your help, and patience.

 

[marty]

I recently converted my 80 gallon tank to an dsb. I used 150lbs of play sand and 50lbs of live sand. I probably could have used another 50lbs of either play sand or live sand.
As for live rock/base rock, you want 1-2 lbs of rock per gallon. So a 77 gallon tank you would want 77-154lbs of rock. IMO, you can mix both live and base rock to get to the amount you want. In my 80 gallon, I have probably 15lbs of base rock and 65lbs of live rock. Seems to be going pretty good.
Hope this helps!

 

[jlem]

Tang man. I would not go with the DSB. Live rock will convert nitrate as well as a DSB will. Pods and critters will live and thrive just fine in a 1-2 inch SB. If you ever have to move your tank then A DSB will be a problem. Lots of people have wiped out whole tanks after they try and move a DSB from one tank to another. A DSB gets to looking pretty ugly once the lower layers start turning brown and uncitely. If you wanted a DSB for your only biological filtration then 4-6 inches is the way to go, but with live rock it is just not needed and to me more trouble than they are good.

 

[carrie1429]

Try this link, it will help you figure out how much sand you will need
<a href="http://www.purearagonite.com/SandBed.html" target="_blank">http://www.purearagonite.com/SandBed.html</a>

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

Here's what I have learned through intense research - because I'm on a tight budget.
Realistically about a half a pound per gallon is enough Live Rock for biofiltration, if you have a 3 to 4" DSB. The DSB will KEEP the nitrates down. You need Pwerheads to move the water and create surface tnesion on the top and a skimmer.
I would add a chemical filter for crystal clear water - remove the guts of a Floval Canister filter and fill it full of Active Carbon.
top of the water daily, Do 5-10% water changes each week, keep your Skimmer clean, and replace the Active Carbon every two weeks.
Add trace elementds as needed for your tank type and your good.

 

[kyred1]

OK. A STUPID QUESTION I HAVE. WHAT EXACTLY IS DSB? AND IS IT OK TO ADD THE SAND AFTER I HAVE THE BASE/LR IN MY AQUARIUM ALREADY?

 

[fshhub]

deep sand bed, 4 to 6 inches deep
and yes, if ther are no fish or inverts, and only rock, just add, if there are, add slowly, a little every week or 2

 

[rattlyfuture]

Where can you get a seeding kit or the thing that is supposed to have all the worms and stuff the sand bed needs. If read where you should add one every two years. I have live sand in my aquarium so the bacterial is good but I don't think I have any critters. It is a fish only tank so I also have no LR for critters and will have to buy them.
<img src="graemlins//confused2.gif" border="0" alt="[confused2]" />

 

[tang_man_montreal]

I checked out the DSB calculator stated above, and then went to their homepage and found that they sell sand!
What does everyone think of <a href="http://www.purearagonite.com/home.HTMl" target="_blank">www.purearagonite.com</a>??
Has anyone purchased this LS?
It's cheap! 11.95/40Lb bag.
Is it LS, or have I misread?

 

[tang_man_montreal]

^

 

[beth]

<a href="http://ipsf.com/" target="_blank">IndoPacific</a>
<a href="http://inlandaquatics.com/prod/prod_detrit.html" target="_blank">Detritivores from Inland</a>
Now I'm telling you all right now...if you are going to buy from either one of these stores, then you must only buy their detritivores kits....nothing else! Otherwise, you are going to get me fired from SWF.com. K?

 

[sandy]

lol *if* SWF.com sold the stuff I'd buy it. I am very, very grateful for this board! I went with ipsf.com.

 

[sterling007]

I just set up a 125 gallon. I went with 80 lbs of aragonite, and 40 of LS. I'm adding the LR as the funds permit. right now I have 45 lbs in and will get more this weekend. My depth of sand is average 2 to 2 1/2 inches.