Using "dry" sand is fine. That is what I used. Like sumphead said, it will become live over time if there is
LR in the system.
Sounds good, so no need to buy "livesand" that comes in a plastic bag with water in it.
That isn't live at all. I think there is a vocabulary problem with what we (hobbyist) call
LS and what certain manufacturers call
LS.
When I think of
LS, I think of sand that is totaly full of infauna, worms, bugs, and bacteria. Basically it is critter heaven. This is the kind of sand that most all reef tanks have. Either they purchased it like this from the
LFS in their
LS or coral tanks and brought it home in buckets, or the
LR in their tank basically seeded the sand (what you call "dry") and turned it into
LS.
What certain manufactures call
LS, is sand that is bagged up and contains none of the critters I spoke about. They simply call it
LS because they claim it has the bacteria on it which take care of nitrification. The only problem with this is that it can't be alive since there is:
1. No water in the bag to keep the bacteria alive.
AND
2. No food source for the bacteria live off of.
IMO, its a joke and a waste of money. I can't believe they even try to market this stuff.