Sand or Live Rock?

[podge387]

I have been doing alot of resaerch and i cant decide if i shuold use sand or another bedding such as live rocks for the substrate of my tank. If i am going to use sand what type should i use and if its not any trouble what are some good sites for live rock my LFS doesnt have any.

Thank You Again.

 

[Atari]

Live rock isn't really a substrate, it's main use is for filtration. If you're just after a bedding then your options are crushed coral, sand, aragonite etc.. depending ofcourse on what kind of system you plan to recreate. If you're going reef then you'll probably want a deep sand bed and lots of rock.

From what I've read so far on this forum http:/www.liverocks.com is a very good source in the states.

 

[darb2]

there is a sticky at the top of this forum about southdown sand. I would use that of aragonite for a base, put in lr (lr.com is good) and wait a bit for the tank to settle and cycle. Then get some live sand from an established tank, not the bagged stuff at the lfs, to seed the sand with beneficial worms 8)

 

[Hammer]

OK This may be dumb but I have to ask, I live on the east coast of florida so could i goto the beach (non public area) and get some sand during low tide and be ok? Hey if it is ok why pay for florida live sand if i live here lol.

 

[darb2]

I have heard people reccomend going as far out as you can. I think the reason is to cut down on pollutants.