question

[jckkc]

I have a 45 gal fowler w/ a glass bottom. The tanks has been up for about a 18 months. All is well with the two clowns and anemone, a couple of turbo snails and 5 hermits. The tank is a SEACLEAR brand which has it's filtration built in on the back. The protein skimmer is a piece of trash. I would like to place live sand in the bottom of the tank. My questions are
1. What is the difference between the cheap ls and more expensive ls?
2. Should I just convert the whole thing to a real tank and separate filter? Or just buy a good hangon protein skimmer and keep a good thing going?
There is about 25lbs of lr with plenty of life involved. I just don't want to mess the whole thing up, but i am ready for a change in the flooring. I like the idea of a dsb. All the reading i've done makes sense.

 

[surfnturf]

Expensive LS generally has various worms and other detrivores in it, cheap LS supposedly has dormant bacteria in it. Get the good stuff.
You can do a layer of "dead sand" 1 inch less than the total depth desired and use good live sand for the top 1". The organisms in the LS will spread to the dead sand and make it LS.

 

[beth]

I don't know of too much "cheap" LS out there, whether is just comes with bacteria or others stuff. Its all pretty expensive. Perhaps you are thinking of the difference between dry and and LS?

 

[surfnturf]

Actually, what I was referring to is actually the bags of "live arragonite" that you see sitting on the shelves at the LFS. I wouldn't really think much life makes it through sitting on a shelf for a year or more. You're right, none of it is very cheap(in price anyway) so you might as well buy real stuff like they sell here.

 

[jckkc]

what i meant by cheap is the bagged $20 & 20lb. product that sits on the shelf at the lfs and may not be rotated often. versus the $49 & 20lb product bought directly online.

 

[tucker3940]

Like they said:
Shelf = No Life
Buy it online or from a reputable lfs, or you could by the shelf sand and seed it with a detrivore kit.