Sand / Live Rock

[deeze]

Do you think it's best to get a fine or course grain sand for the bottom of a new tank setup? Also, it seems like I don't really need to buy live sand if I'm going to buy 50 or more lbs of live rock. Is that true? I'd like to buy 20 or so lbs or live sand and the rest dead because of the expense. Any pointers?

 

[darknes]

Everyone has their own preferences, so you are going to get many conflicting ideas...
Personally, I have half crushed coral, and half argonite sand, and don't have any problems, but some will swear by using only sand
This is one of the reasons people need to do a lot of research and ask questions before impulse buying and finding out they wasted their money

 

[hermitkrab]

Okay this is what I did for my 40 gal. tank... Okay I added a 30 lb. bag of cheap bagged ls (like $18) then added a 20 lb. bag of better bagged ls (like $22). Then I added a bag of expensive bagged ls (like $30). And then finally I added 20 lb. of actual ls from this very site. My tank is only three days old but its level are all low and pH is like 7.8, I think, or is it 7.2? Well anyway that's what I did but its up to you.
P.S.
Sand size doesn't matter unless you get a jawfish or another sand-sifter.

 

[tru conch]

you can buy "dead" sand and mix it with the ls to save money. the "dead" sand will become live with critters from both the lr and ls. hth.

 

[sula]

Buy Tropical Play Sand at Home Depot ($7 per 50#). Rinse it off, put it in a rubbermaid container with some saltwater and a heater and let it cure for 2 weeks. Then put it in your tank, add some live sand and voila - sand bed complete

 

[sula]

Hey Darknes I have crushed coral in my 10g which is a pain - I've been trying to decide whether and how to switch it out to sand - how do you like the half-and-half? What from your perspective is the advantage of the mixture?

 

[essop3]

Make sure if you buy the Home Depot stuff its the Old castle, Yardright or Southdown brand. Other ones aren't made of the stuff you want. This stuff is hard to find sometimes. There are companies that sell it for aquariums but the price is higer. Look for carib-sea or pure argonite brands.
Don't waste money on bagged live sand. All sand will become that kind of live after your cycle. It is important to add live sand from an established tank or a "wild collected" source.

 

[cowfishrule]

Originally posted by Sula
Buy Tropical Play Sand at Home Depot ($7 per 50#). Rinse it off, put it in a rubbermaid container with some saltwater and a heater and let it cure for 2 weeks. Then put it in your tank, add some live sand and voila - sand bed complete
its actually 4.96 for a 50# bag

 

[deeze]

Originally posted by Sula
Buy Tropical Play Sand at Home Depot ($7 per 50#). Rinse it off, put it in a rubbermaid container with some saltwater and a heater and let it cure for 2 weeks. Then put it in your tank, add some live sand and voila - sand bed complete
What does putting it in a container with saltwater and a heater for two weeks do to the sand? Just kill airborne bacteria and stuff? What temperature should the water be? It's a FANTASTIC idea and will save tons of money. I figured if I buy a 75 gal. tank and put 100+ lbs of lr in it, that should do a pretty good job of seeding everything including the garden the back yard!... gosh that lr is expensive. Thanks for the great tip, I'll look for those particular brands too.
Seems like the finer grained beach type sand is the best for critters to get down into.

 

[sula]

Oh yes, one more thing, when you have the sand curing in the saltwater, you need to "feed" it. Some say flake food, I used little pieces of mysis shrimp left over from feeding my clownfish. You could always buy some frozen cubes and just use one for your sand.
What this does is introduce bacteria to the sand. Fresh dry sand in your tank makes a big huge cloudy mess. The bacteria coat the sand particles, helping to weigh them down. Plus you are building your base of beneficial bacteria which your tank will need.
Do a search on Curing Sand and you will find the detailed information, one of them even had a picture of the bag of sand which helped me to be certain I was buying the right kind.
Oh, and if you come to Wisconsin, the sand costs $7, apparently if you go visit NJ it'll be cheaper

 

[sula]

Okay I bumped the thread which helped me the most - saltwater 101, the cycle. While you're reading, you 'll come across a link to "Kip's Methods" - read that, it'll tell you everything you need to know. I cured my sand this way and am SOOOO happy with the result.....