Where to get good quality live sand...?

[willlovesfish]

I am looking to get rid of my crushed coral substrate and go to live sand. I have looked around on swf.com and some other websites. I am just curious where everyone is getting their live sand from? What things should I look for and lookout for? Any brand or type better then another? So far I like the swf.com live sand the best, but it seems kinda pricey...is there anywhere I could get something as good as quality for cheaper...? I want something with a fine-medium grain and white color, I hate the sand that looks like it's just ground up crushed coral. Oh, is it better if the sand comes in a wet bag with saltwater in it or does this not matter at all? I have a 22 gallon cube shaped tank, about how much sand should I need to make a nice sand bed?
Thanks for the help everyone!

 

[matt b]

Originally Posted by WillLovesFish
I am looking to get rid of my crushed coral substrate and go to live sand. I have looked around on swf.com and some other websites. I am just curious where everyone is getting their live sand from? What things should I look for and lookout for? Any brand or type better then another? So far I like the swf.com live sand the best, but it seems kinda pricey...is there anywhere I could get something as good as quality for cheaper...? I want something with a fine-medium grain and white color, I hate the sand that looks like it's just ground up crushed coral. Oh, is it better if the sand comes in a wet bag with saltwater in it or does this not matter at all? I have a 22 gallon cube shaped tank, about how much sand should I need to make a nice sand bed?
Here is some stuff I found on *****.com, it also seems kinda pricey though, any opinions on this stuff...
http://www.*****.com/Shop/Product.aspx?sku=1035754
Thanks for the help everyone!
well for one i would take that link out bcus swf.com doent like it when you put links to other pet shops. and for live sand i like going to my lfs to get it so i can see what im getting. and ive got sand from here befor and its really nice sand but its really fine and i like the grain look but thats just me

 

[willlovesfish]

Thanks for the tip, took the link out!
Guess I will check out my LFS. I do like the finer stuff though, not the grainy stuff, anyway thanks for the help.
Any other opinions would be nice, thanks!
Still wondering if it should be in a wet bag or not? Also, I have seen the brand Caribsea a lot, is this good stuff, any opinions on it? Seems kinda cheap, I worry it's no good...?

 

[anthropo]

well to be honest ***** has good live sand. it's either 20lbs for 40 which equals out to 2 bucks a pound or you can get 10lbs for 30 which is 2.5 bucks per pound.

 

[ophiura]

IMO, the best live sand you can get is from another hobbyist who is taking down a tank. The bagged stuff is marketing, IMO, as logically living stuff can only live for a period in a sealed plastic bag. So check local hobby boards for that. After that I would use "dead" sand and seed it with a cup of sand from someone else.

 

[willlovesfish]

Thanks for the tips everyone.
*****'s sand does look nice, I like the grain size etc. Price is good too as someone stated already.
Another brand I see a lot of is CaribSea, only thing I am not big on is there grain size. Anyone use this, have any good things or bad things to say about it?

 

[sepulatian]

Go to your LFS and ask them to order you some from their live goods distributor. They carry it, but you have to pick it up the day it arrives. It will be true live sand.

 

[willlovesfish]

Thanks, I plan on going to my LFS tomorrow. Hopefully they can get me some good stuff at a decent price.

 

[snakeblitz33]

you can always get some dry base aragonite sand which is pretty cheap, and add a cupful of sand from an established aquarium...

 

[willlovesfish]

Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33
you can always get some dry base aragonite sand which is pretty cheap, and add a cupful of sand from an established aquarium...
I have read about this method and from what I understand it will turn the dry/dead sand into Live sand eventually... thanks for the tip! I will keep it in mind as well.
Will let you all know what I decide to do and post up some pics as well

 

[ophiura]

Actually, if you just have "dead" sand and have live rock, it will also work. Live sand is, IMO, a "don't need to over-engineer" it thing

 

[willlovesfish]

Originally Posted by ophiura
Actually, if you just have "dead" sand and have live rock, it will also work. Live sand is, IMO, a "don't need to over-engineer" it thing

That makes sense, never thought of it that way too. I suppose the only thing is it will take some time to turn into live sand as opposed to buying already live in a bag sand...?

 

[ophiura]

It is relative. Odds are that the number of living "critters" in a bag of live sand is pretty relative. If you consider what makes it live is bacteria, then it is a matter of days before the dead sand becomes live (the cycling period). Weeks, maybe, to get more critters in there (though I think you would be surprised that it wouldn't take long to start seeing worms and such in there).
I think the important thing is just don't think that the LS in a bag is going to be crawling with animals...otherwise it is certainly fine to use. But if cost is a factor, then I would consider the mixing with "dead" sand option.

 

[willlovesfish]

Thanks for the help, it's all making much more sense now, I am new to saltwater so every little bit of info helps right now. I am sure I will never stop learning though in this exciting hobby

 

[willlovesfish]

Well the verdict is I ended up getting my live sand from my LFS. They actually only carry Nature's Ocean (same brand as ***** carries), and they also personally use it in all of their tanks. I really like the grain size etc. so I went ahead and bought it, it came in bags of 20lb and was only $23 per bag, way cheaper then ***** might I add.
I made sure to ask questions about how the product is shipped to them, they assured me it's properly shipped to them to stay alive and preserve it.
Thanks to everyone who helped me out with this project, I will post up pics tomorrow hopefully.

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by WillLovesFish
...
I made sure to ask questions about how the product is shipped to them, they assured me it's properly shipped to them to stay alive and preserve it.
....
Then they mislead you.
Bagged wet sand is not true "live" sand. The critters you want in your live sand breath oxygen. Obviously what is in a bag for weeks or months will not be able to breath.
The sand will be fine for your sand bed, but it will not be true "live" sand. Only fresh sand (like they sell here) will contain the millions of pods, worms, micro stars, etc.
As Ophiura said, as you cycle your tank the bacteria will quickly grow in your sand. Life from good quality rock will seed your sand. So you'll be fine.
Just wanted to make sure you know the difference

 

[willlovesfish]

Thanks for clearing it up for me, I understand what you are saying.
Either way as you said my live rock should seed to my sand, so I am really not worried about it. I would have bought my sand from swf.com but I honestly didn't want to spend that much money. Lol, the wife is already upset at me for all the money I have spent on this hobby, so saving money without sacrificing too much quality is a must right now.

 

[1journeyman]

Hehe, this hobby does hit the wallet.

 

[willlovesfish]

Before and after pics with the new sand, also a new layout with the live rock, and I now have a powerhead, enjoy. Oh, it's kinda hard to tell how my live rock is layed out, may not look like it but it's really not bunched up at all like it looks in the pic, it has lots of holes and spaces for the fish to swim in.
Before

After