Q? about LS
- Thread starter kandr
- Start date
j21kickster
Active Member
i wouldnt- it could contian a number of contaminants form various sources.- it would have some life it it but i wouldnt.
kandr
Member
Thank for the advice. I am very new to this hobby. I haven’t even completed my cycle yet.
I have CC in my 72 Gal. tank right now. I am undergoing a project to build a sump with a refugium, which incorporates a DSB. Soon I will need to decide what substrate will go into the sump.
I'm using the drawing from Dogs Sump page as a schematic for my project.
http://www.angelfire.com/ok/dog1/sumps.html
I had a feeling that using LS from the beach was a NO-NO, but I am a bit confused about how the LS is created that is sold at the LFS.
If I buy a critter pack, will dead sand become LS? Or is there no alternative to purchasing LS from the store. And how important is it to use LS in a refugium.
I have CC in my 72 Gal. tank right now. I am undergoing a project to build a sump with a refugium, which incorporates a DSB. Soon I will need to decide what substrate will go into the sump.
I'm using the drawing from Dogs Sump page as a schematic for my project.
http://www.angelfire.com/ok/dog1/sumps.html
I had a feeling that using LS from the beach was a NO-NO, but I am a bit confused about how the LS is created that is sold at the LFS.
If I buy a critter pack, will dead sand become LS? Or is there no alternative to purchasing LS from the store. And how important is it to use LS in a refugium.
surfnturf
Member
LS has different meanings to different people. Generally, live sand is just sand that has been populated by the beneficial bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite to nitrate. Truthfully, real live sand contains all of the bacteria plus various worms and other organisms that populate the sand. LS like you can buy through places like our sponsor contains the various organisms mentioned before. It is collected many miles from shore, in clean water. There are skeptics that say that none of those organisms will survive transit, but it's hard to believe that after seeing what can survive the whole LR ordeal. It is also true that any sand will after time become LS, and some of the organisms from the LR will populate the sand. If you have the money available, order some of the LS from saltwaterfish.com, you really can't go wrong.
reeflooker
Member
Lose the crushed coral. Ive seen some nice reefs with crushed coral, but almost everybody that has it swithces to sand.
Don't use Beach sand. Beach sand is generally silica. Try to get some southdown tropical play sand at Home Depot.
Don't use Beach sand. Beach sand is generally silica. Try to get some southdown tropical play sand at Home Depot.