through my searching for live sand at a cheaper price i stopped and realized something i had read on a previous post about the ocean not being full of aragonite or silica. What is ocean sand you ask? Its crushed shells, coral and rocks. So.. this lead to me do some thinking about what i can do to make my own. (ya i know this might end up in DIY but its ok) I have cc and my thoughts are to just crush it into a finer grain size and possibly throw in some dead rock into the mix and basically emulate what nature does. If cc is just as good then why not just crush it more? Thats my logic. Any thoughts would be appreciated
Ideas and logic about live sand
- Thread starter biotoxin
- Start date
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sumphead
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Sounds good, but probably just as expensive if not more as you lose volume with the smaller size particles. So cost would be high yet possibly more natural. Which arrises the question: How in the world would you crush it and maintain at least some ganular consistency?
kidafius
Aquarium Advice Freak
Ocean sand = CC + eroded rock + silica + skeletal remains of fish/inverts + volcanic matter + an unimagineable number of other elements/pieces
There is nothing you can do to emulate it. You can try, and will have success with your ideas, but IMO they are not really necessary. My sand bed cost me $1.49/ bag of silica play sand + $45 worth of packaged LS. I jump started it with about 5 lbs of "gribble", the small gravel in the bottom of the cure tank at the LFS. Now the sand is a huge civilization of fan worms and pods.
JMHO.
There is nothing you can do to emulate it. You can try, and will have success with your ideas, but IMO they are not really necessary. My sand bed cost me $1.49/ bag of silica play sand + $45 worth of packaged LS. I jump started it with about 5 lbs of "gribble", the small gravel in the bottom of the cure tank at the LFS. Now the sand is a huge civilization of fan worms and pods.
JMHO.
G
Guest
Guest
Yes I have often thought the same things like, a 40 lb bag of CC, will still be a 40lb bag of sand pulverized right? 40 lbs is 40 lbs... The volume would be changed because of the smaller particle sizes... But then I though,, hmm I know no one with a steam roller to run over the bags for me.. and I don't want to smash it with a hammer,, so, I haven't done it... Now I do know a place naturally that I can get sand from a secluded spot of beach, that out in the water about 50 yards at low tide, the sand is nothing but pulverized shells and what not.. maybe a 1mm to 3 or 4mm in size.. nothing but calcium carbonate left overs. 
So I am thinking of just getting a couple 5 gal buckets worth and calling it a day.. It is full of worms and stuff too...
I don't know where I was going with that.. shoot, the CC thing was a good Idea, until I thought about what it would take to crush it even more...
So I am thinking of just getting a couple 5 gal buckets worth and calling it a day.. It is full of worms and stuff too... I don't know where I was going with that.. shoot, the CC thing was a good Idea, until I thought about what it would take to crush it even more...
ya i guess i didnt realize that shells n coral is a lot stronger than i thought maybe when i get bored ill just put the bag under my tire and back over it a few times.
Kidafius, ive seen many posts here that say silica isnt the best for substrate because of the sharp edges.
maybe when i get bored ill just put the bag under my tire and back over it a few times. Kidafius, ive seen many posts here that say silica isnt the best for substrate because of the sharp edges.
The ocean substrate has developed from hundreds, thousands and million of years of storm surge and erosion and decay.
What we are trying to do with live sand is not reproduce the physical make up of the ocean floor or even the reef or lagoon floor. What we are doing is simulating this subsuface and providing an enviorment that the natural sand sifters that live in the upper 6-12" of the ocean sand so that they can live in our systems.
What we are trying to do with live sand is not reproduce the physical make up of the ocean floor or even the reef or lagoon floor. What we are doing is simulating this subsuface and providing an enviorment that the natural sand sifters that live in the upper 6-12" of the ocean sand so that they can live in our systems.
