LS & LR question

[museumgirl]

When mixing regular sand with live sand what ratios should I use? I don't think I can do all live. And the live sand should be placed on top right?
Also same situation with live rock. I'll probably need to put in base rock on the bottom, but is there an optimal ammount of live rock? or is there a minimum ammount?
:notsure:

 

[joker_ca]

IMO there is no ratio just mix it all together and after awhile everything will be "live"

 

[malounsbury]

What are the dimensions of your tank? How deep do you want the sand bed to be? If you can tell me that information, I can look it up in the calculator for you since I can't post the site that actually has the calculator.

 

[shilpe]

how much sand would i need for a 75g tank? i have regular sand, reef sand, and live sand. i would like the bed to be 3-4" deep.

 

[trainfever]

There is no ratio. Just make sure that you place the live sand on top. All of the sand wil become live eventually.

 

[malounsbury]

Shilpe, what are the dimensions of your tank? Length, width and height. If you can get me that information, I can look it up for you.

 

[1journeyman]

For a deep sand bed, I think you want a minimum of 4 inches. From what I've read up on DSBs, especially on Fenner's cite, 2-4 inches is a range where you may run into nitrate problems.

 

[shilpe]

Hey malounsbury, I will look up the info for you and get back to you. Cat ran off with the tape measure so i'll have to find it.

 

[museumgirl]

Just got back in from the weekend.... I'll check the exact dimensions and get back with you guys. Thanks!

 

[museumgirl]

Ok We have 2 tanks...
On is 55.5"L X 18"W X 24" H. But this tank also has a built in skimmer box that is 10"L X 6.5W X 21H
The second tank is a bow front. It is 48" L X 12.5W X 21"H
Let me know what you think.

 

[malounsbury]

For the second tank, for a 2 inch deep sand bed you need about 50lbs of sand. About 40lbs of aragonite and 10lbs of live sand according to the sand bed calculator. If you want a 4 inch sandbed, you would need 80lbs of aragonite and 15lbs of live sand for 95lbs total.
For the first tank with the skimmer box, how many gallons is the tank? Can you measure just the area of the tank that is outside of the skimmer box?

 

[museumgirl]

I wasn't here when the 1st tank was donated (I work at a kids science center) so I'm not sure how many gal. I tried to find something similar online and I think it's about 100-125gal minus I would say about 3 gal. for the skimmer.
Can you find the gals with the original dimensions without taking the skimmer box into account?
P.S. Thanks for looking this info up!

 

[museumgirl]

When I add this (probably won't be for a little while yet) I need to slope the bed to the back of the tank right?

 

[malounsbury]

Alright, I was misreading earlier. I was trying to do it while I was working.

Anyways, for a 2 inch deep sand bed, you'll need 80lbs of sand. 65lbs of aragonite and 15lbs of live sand.
For a 4 inch bed, you would need 160lbs of sand. 135lbs of aragonite and 25lbs of live sand.

 

[museumgirl]

Thanks for all of the help... I'm writing it down!!

 

[museumgirl]

Does live sand have die off like live rock??

 

[rgaskins]

Originally posted by joker_ca
IMO there is no ratio just mix it all together and after awhile everything will be "live"
So what your saying is if I have live rock and add some base rock to it eventually all the rock will become live...I guess the live stuff would move to the dead rock but just wanted to make sure...Thanks for any help...:notsure:

 

[malounsbury]

Yes, if you mix live rock and base rock, the live rock will "seed" the base rock and it will eventually become live.

 

[getit]

"For the second tank, for a 2 inch deep sand bed you need about 50lbs of sand. About 40lbs of aragonite and 10lbs of live sand according to the sand bed calculator. If you want a 4 inch sandbed, you would need 80lbs of aragonite and 15lbs of live sand for 95lbs total."
Malounsbury,
Why do you need different types of sand? Is it better to do it this way or just buy all live sand? I don't understand, I am new to this hobby; SW that is....did freshwater and that was a breeze.
:notsure: :help:

 

[malounsbury]

Live sand is somewhat expensive. You can pay $110 from this site, plus shipping for only 40lbs. If you go to your LFS, you may pay less per pound, but I know my LFS charges like $3/lb for it. If you get some aragonite, such as CaribSea aragonite or Tropical Play Sand from Home Depot, you can get it for about $1/pound, or even cheaper depending on how much the sand costs for a 50lb bag at HD. Then you get some live sand to go on top, and it will seed the bed, and eventually all of the sand will be live, and for about a third or half of the cost of 100% live sand in the beginning.