Live sand

[Justin-fishboy]

Does it matter If I get live sand or dry sand starting off?

 

[pendergraft2111]

Live sand is a waste of money if you are getting live rock but either way most people get like 10% live and the rest dry. It will all eventually be 'live' anyways.
I just went with live rock which seeded to my sand.

 

[Justin-fishboy]

Yea that makes sense. What if I'm goin with dry rock and half lr? Is that a problem?

 

[pendergraft2111]

That should be fine, that is what most people do. The more 'live' stuff you get the shorter the cycle normally is. I did my first tank with damsels during the cycle like the LFS told me and found out later that fishless cycle is the way to go.
I helped my cousin start his with 3 small pieces of live rock and the rest dry,no substrate, and some fresh shrimp and his cycle completed in 3 weeks.

I'm glad you are looking before leaping... way better then what i did...lol

 

[Justin-fishboy]

Hey thanks... Yea I think I can live with a lol bit of a longer cycle. But it will save $ so that's a good thing. I have been doin lots of research. I'm gonna start my tank soon

 

[slitherbomb]

Unless the live sand was from a running tank, it wouldn't have been live anyways.

 

[Justin-fishboy]

Hmmm. Well I'm not gonna worry about the sand then. Just get dry sand

 

[Purevil21]

Much better off with dry sand, much cheaper and rapidly becomes live anyways. You never want to get tank used sand, it is live but full of detritus.

 

[Biocube14]

You can buy live sand in vacum sealed bags.. I used that plus water from lfs tanks and 8lbs of live rock in a 14 gal biocube. 5 hours later I threw a perc clown in and 2 weeks later added $300 of corals.. 5 months later everything is going strong!!

 

[Purevil21]

Used water doesn't carry much beneficial bacteria, and that bagged "live" sand is a rip off. The reason your tank went well was you had 8lbs of cured and established live rock which apparently had enough BB to minimize the effects of the cycle. You should never add fish that quickly to a tank IMO, just because they survived doesn't mean it wasn't difficult for them.

 

[Biocube14]

Maybe so, maybe not.. IMO he seemed very pleased. I heard too the sand was a rip off but it was only 20bucks and I liked the way it looked over the dry sand anyways so I bought it.

 

[Purevil21]

It only looked different because it was wet. There is no maybe or maybe not, this isn't an experiment, it is proven science. Tanks do not cycle immediately and the beneficial bacteria needed to covert ammonia to nitrite and eventually nitrate does not live in water. Your fish survived because clowns are hardy, what you did is still not recommended within the hobby anymore. The LFS told you everything he did to make you spend more $$$, he wanted you to buy Live Rock instead of much cheaper dry rock, he wanted you to buy "live sand", and he wanted you to walk away with some fish to throw in that brand new tank.

 

[Justin-fishboy]

Hmm.. Yea I get the feeling some of the lfs stores just want u to buy stuff. But what dry sand do u reccomend.

 

[Purevil21]

Dry aragonite works great.

 

[Justin-fishboy]

Can u get that at any lfs store?

 

[slitherbomb]

Petsmart has it. I think it was $30 for 30lbs.

 

[Justin-fishboy]

How much will I need for a bio 14? And what is a good diameter grain size for the tank? I'm reading up on sand that is 1.25-1.95. It's says it's good for ur tank if the grades r bigger

 

[slitherbomb]

The smallest and the 30 pounds is good. That's how much I used for my biocube 14g

 

[Justin-fishboy]

Hmm. Ok. Cool thanks a lot fill free to throw other info out there that I might need or b useful.

 

[slitherbomb]

Never leave home without money or a phone: you never know when you'll need to use either of them.