What type of sand?

[ChiTownRomeo]

I have a 46 gallon acrylic tank and i have 20 pounds of dry carib sea caribean sand and wanna seed it with some good live sand. what's a good type?

 

[bigben2057]

Its hard to find real Live sand. It would be easier to find a few pieces of live rock to add. You can then just use home depots play sand too add.

 

[jsmith]

I have a 46 gallon acrylic tank and i have 20 pounds of dry carib sea caribean sand and wanna seed it with some good live sand. what's a good type?

I asked my lfs for a cup of their sand.

 

[JBarlak]

Live rock is cheap and give you structure to tank.

 

[Sniperhank]

Like what was stated above, real live sand isn't easy to find. Just make your own with what you have. Get a cup of sand from your LFS of a SW buddy to get it going.

 

[JBarlak]

Also I know carib sea sells the 7kg bags of live sand also.

 

[jsmith]

Also I know carib sea sells the 7kg bags of live sand also.

How live can it be sitting on a shelf for 6 months just my opinion. I went that route wont ever do it again. Waste of money when pool filter sand is 3 bucks for 50 pounds and a cup of sand from buddy or lfs is free.

 

[JBarlak]

Just giving options since the bacteria in the sand are anaerobic so the it won't go "stale". Also if there is any issues in lfs tanks you don't know about, you wouldn't want to bring it home.

 

[jsmith]

Just giving options since the bacteria in the sand are anaerobic so the it won't go "stale". Also if there is any issues in lfs tanks you don't know about, you wouldn't want to bring it home.

Perhaps that's a valid point. Point well taken. Guess comes to the question in how well you know/ trust your lfs or buddy setup. Im thinking terms of organisms which indeed can be found on your live rock but I look as another source of introduction not just on the live rock.

 

[kdpuffer]

I used live sand in my tank and it was loaded with critters especially pods and feather dusters. If you buy live sand you need to get the stuff that's bagged with water and check the expiry date if it doesn't have one then it isn't live sand.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Live rock is cheap and give you structure to tank.

How do you figure live rock is cheap at $7-$9 a pound? I bought 60 lbs of live sand for about $1 a pound, my tank was cycled in 2.5 weeks.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

I used live sand in my tank and it was loaded with critters especially pods and feather dusters. If you buy live sand you need to get the stuff that's bagged with water and check the expiry date if it doesn't have one then it isn't live sand.

+1 I have no regrets buying my caribsea Fiji pink!

 

[bigben2057]

How do you figure live rock is cheap at $7-$9 a pound? I bought 60 lbs of live sand for about $1 a pound, my tank was cycled in 2.5 weeks.

Petco has it pretty cheap they base it on rock size and not weight. Sm,Med, lg I think are 10,15,20.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Be careful at Petco tho... Some of them do it by pound, at 8.99/lb... And sometimes it's not "Fiji" like they say it is. It's just lava rock that has been aquacultured in Fiji. Weak sauce if ya ask me.. It's dense, resembles concrete, and has no good holes for critters. They do have some good stuff that actually is Fiji, just gotta be careful!

 

[TheTodd]

Petco does do the lava rock thing. My local Petco has a few pieces that they just have labeled as "live rock" but it is like $15-$30 for what would cost ten cents at a local boulder supply yard. I almost think that is where they get it and just stick it in their tanks to become live. It looks pretty plain.
I went with black lava rock in my tank. I got over 80 lbs for under $5 total. It will become live over time. I like the look. Stack it up and you get your caves and shelves.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

Yes it is cheap, but it's dense and not real porous. To each his own, it's just too much displacement for my liking... The idea is to have a lighter rock with lots of holes and places for critters to hide, and also it will allow for better flow, thus giving more spots for BB to be established.

 

[TheTodd]

The lava rock I got is very light and very porous. I would even say lighter than the Fiji I used to have in my reef. Not a lot of the holes that go through the rock, but when stacked, there are multiple caves and places to hide and/or swim through. Never have had issues with circulation.

I'm not saying my way is the best for everyone. For a reef tank, I would go with more traditional Fiji, Tonga, etc. I like the "plainness" of the black lava rock for my FOWLR though. To me, a reef is about everything inside the tank. I've always liked my FOWLRs to focus more on the fish.

 

[Flaxon-Waxon]

The lava rock I got is very light and very porous. I would even say lighter than the Fiji I used to have in my reef. Not a lot of the holes that go through the rock, but when stacked, there are multiple caves and places to hide and/or swim through. Never have had issues with circulation.

I'm not saying my way is the best for everyone. For a reef tank, I would go with more traditional Fiji, Tonga, etc. I like the "plainness" of the black lava rock for my FOWLR though. To me, a reef is about everything inside the tank. I've always liked my FOWLRs to focus more on the fish.

Like I said.. To each his own. I'm not saying I'm right and you're wrong or vice versa... I'm just stating my opinion, which is what forums are for, for the most part