Still thinking and checking out options

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Autumnsky

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This sand was recommended as a great starter for the tank.
CaribSea Arag-Alive Bahamas Oolite Aquarium Sand

I have been to several lfs featuring SW but haven't really looked into the specifics of the live sand and LR, costs, and where they are from Tahiti, Fiji, Florida(does it matter?).

Also was told just to get pool filter sand, not waste the $$ on the LS.

Is there a black sand option? I have a great sand blasting sand supply company nearby so could get something interesting, it is around 50 lbs for $16-22 depending what it is. Garnet sand is purple and looks pretty cool, also was told there might be a downside to dark sand. Any knowledge floating around about that?

Thanks in advance for the help.

Also found some really great looking "cherry Primo picked decorator live rock"
21 year growth and has lots of things growing on it. After looking at a bunch of things which can be on it I have another question.

Is it better to not get live rock which could have all kinds of bad stuff in it, like Cirolanid isopods, Gorilla crabs, and whatever else you might NOT want in your tank.

Now I am scared! lol
 
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I wouldn't do pool sand or the sand blasting sand as I imagine it has a lot of silicates in it. They do sell a black reef sand, I use it in 2 of my tanks. Also the arag "alive" isn't really live sand it's just wet sand, so just get the regular aragonite and save about $10 a bag
 
I wouldn't do pool sand or the sand blasting sand as I imagine it has a lot of silicates in it. They do sell a black reef sand, I use it in 2 of my tanks. Also the arag "alive" isn't really live sand it's just wet sand, so just get the regular aragonite and save about $10 a bag

If you get LS from a fellow hobbyist, would that be suggested?
 
I disagree about the live sand. The stuff I got was actually very wet and I had a tonne of organisms from it- specifically pods. To my knowledge there are 2 kinds of live sand, one is slightly damp and the other is wet with noticeable water in the bag and also features an expiry date. If you get the wet sand and it's not expired it is truly live.
 
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