live sand in fowlr tank?

[bkcup]

First- thanks to everyone giving advice on this site... I've learned so much since I've found you. My question is- I'm setting up a 180gal FOWLR tank and I'm wondering if I need live sand or if regular sand will suffice. Also, how deep should the substrate be? (live or not) Thanks so much.

[darb2]

Welcome to AA . Most people recomend 4-6" of sand for a dsb. At the top of the page there is a calculator that you enter tank dimensions and it will tell you how much sand you need to get desired depth. I would add either aragonite sand or southdown sand (if you can find it) look at the sticky about southdown) Then let the tank cycle, when it is done, add some live sand. Waiting on adding ls will help save the critters in the sand that eat detritus.

[BillyZ]

bkcup, any sand added to your system will eventually become "live" live sand is simply sand, that has bacteria and other critters living in it. The bacteria comes from simply having life in the water. The critters come from either the LR or from putting a sample of already LS in your tank as Darb2 mentioned. If you have the resources, get your system set up and cycled, then buy 1 pound of LS from 3 or 4 different LFS or other hobbiests in your area. The best DSBs have a very diverse set of life in them.

Welcome to AquariumAdvice.com

[bkcup]

Thanks so much. I've seen some posts suggesting the play sand found at Home Depot is adequate... is this true? I figure the more I save on sand the more I can spend on lr.

[SoylentGrundy]

I used live sand cut with play sand a year ago and there are all sorts of critters crawling around in there...It's certainly cheaper than using all live sand, especially in a larger tank

[Sparky]

Thanks so much. I've seen some posts suggesting the play sand found at Home Depot is adequate... is this true? I figure the more I save on sand the more I can spend on lr.

Make sure that it is SouthDown or Carribean Playsand from Oldcastle...I got mine from HD.

Mike

[bkcup]

Thanks again, everyone. I especially can't ignore advice from a Danger Mouse fan...

[ClamKnuckle]

especially can't ignore advice from a Danger Mouse fan

HA!

[SoylentGrundy]

thank you...i didnt think many people would recognize DM

[Atari]

Where's Penfold?? 8O

[RocketSeason]

Originally Posted by SoylentGrundy

thank you...i didnt think many people would recognize DM

Who doesn't know who Danger Mouse is? he is only the most dangerous of all mice.