Upgrading tank...sand vs cc?

[lazarus]

Have read in various places that CC is not desirable for a DSB, and as I am getting a 100g I am planning a 3" bed. My current 29g has CC....and I am hoping to transfer livestock quickly so I can use their current home (tank) as a refugium. So, I will get one bag of live sand, the rest inert, and maybe add one cup of the CC along with the LR to get the cycling process going, as well as Turbo Start. Does this plan sound correct? My fish would appreciate if I get it right the first time! :help:

 

[turningtim]

Put some of the CC in nylon bags or a new nylon stocking and put in the tank for a while. This will help seed the sand and add bio-filtration for the critters.
Never really had any luck with additives. Can't really say they helped any.
JMO
HTH
Tim

 

[lazarus]

interesting approach...to keep it separate from the sand...when do i remove?
also can you recommend any particular type of sand? all i have seen is cc and live sand ($$$), nothing inert or economical.

 

[slgcmg]

Additives are made for you to buy. No benefit really. IMO leave the crushed coral out completely. Buy some bags of live sand, see if you can get a cup of a fellow aquariest tank(preferabbly well taken care of tank) and mix it in. As far as moving the crushed coral to you new tank, how is your water quality in that tank first of all? If it is high in nitrates, you would be better off starting new. JMO

 

[lazarus]

one of you recommends putting in some of my cc...another that i get sand from an established tank. my 29g has been up for 6 mos and is very stable, even tho it has cc (and LR).
i read elsewhere from Lion Crazz that he moved from a 70g to 250g in one day and depended on this Turbo Start to get ensure the cycling was done with minimum water from his original tank...you say additives dont work.
I am confused!

 

[slgcmg]

To be honest, it is all just personal preference and past experiences. Crushed coral can store pollutants in your water. That's why I prefer not to use it. Getting some live sand and live rock from a well taken care of established tank will replace the need for additives.

 

[lazarus]

ok, i do have lots of LR and will get more...can you recommend an economical sand? i dont want to buy 100 lbs of live stuff but can get a 20lb bag of aragonite...

 

[turningtim]

The idea of using some of the CC is simply to add to the bio-filtration and help seed the new sand. You don't have to get any bagged live sand at all. You already have a source of bacteria in the LR you already have and the CC you already have.
I was on a thread the other day and I beleive it was NM or Bang that commented the bagged sand is live in the sense that it has bacteria in it but doesn't have any of the benefilcail live critters such as worms, pods etc. If you have a lite bio-load you should be able to depend on the LR you have and some of the CC in bags you have and spend your money on some LS from here (SWF) or another source that is real LS not the bagged kind. This to me makes a lot of sense.
As far as dry sand I would just look for a good argonite based sand on line or from your LFS. I don't think it is worth the risk of using any type of play sand or other bagged sand that is not meant for use in fish tanks. I know people will disagree but, I just think with something so important to the tank and such a pain to replace that its just not worth it.
Do not mix the CC with your new sand. The CC will migrate to the top anyway. Bagging it and use as a source for bacteria and check your numbers and take it out when you feel its nessasary. As far as pollutants from the CC if your rinse it ina liitle salt waste water it will be clean of detrius and still hold the bacteria you want. In a tank that has not been up for that long I don't think it will be a problem.
BTW you can always add sand down the road as well as CURED LR.
JMO
HTH
Tim

 

[jazzyz]

i always read about the benefits of live sand, what are the negatives to live sand??

 

[saltfan]

You can mix Agronite and X-FIne CC, they will mix and not seperate. You will get mixed responses about the live sand and the cc bed. Most mess up and buy the first cc they see, there are different grades, the x-fine #0 being the same size as sand. I have a 3" cc bed, never having any problems with it.

 

[phixer]

Hi Lazarus, the important stuff has already been said, just a side bar here, many species of Wrasses like to bury themselves in the sand, some Gobies as well. Find sand makes it easier for them.