What is the Best Looking Sand?

[lienSlob]

I am about to setup my second Nano. I have heard of the benefits of sugarfine sand or southdown mixed with Live sand in larger tanks but have heard that DSB LS benefits are suspect in smaller tanks and even can cause algae problems.

 

So the plan is to put in some substrate but not seed it with LS. I am primarily concerned with buffering and appearance. Should I just put southdown sand in? Is it the same as aragonite? Any other good looking sands or crushed corals to consider?

 

thanks

[Lebowski]

Just use the good stuff. Buy live sand, If you are short on money. Buy some southdown or aragonite-based sand and use that as layer one, than add live sand as layer 2 over the top to seed it.

[Rush Battle]

I would just use some araga-live, I know it is expensive, but it eliminated large peaks in the cycle of my tank, though I have no way of proving it. I cycled without a skimmer by the way; and aquacultured live rock (SO much life on it). I think it looks really good, though I cycled with live sand on top of it, I think it is a really good combination.

 

Rush

[mxpro32]

the araga live worked well for me also. the tank didnt really have a detectable cycle and i like the grain size.

[Raise]

i also vote for live arag.

[Satchmo]

Southdown is the same as aragonite. I would recommend only an inch or so. If you can seed it with a scoop of someone else's established sandbed, great. If not, you'll get critters from the liverock who will migrate into the sand and it'll be live before you know it.

[mxpro32]

i couldnt get southdown around here (central cal)

[jdiver]

Personally I like the AragAlive or the similar sand by Nature's Ocean (Bio Active something or other). I don't really buy into the whole "live bacteria/no cycle" thing, but I really like the look of it, grain size, etc. It obviously wouldn't be practical for a larger tank due to its cost, but for a smaller tank (15 gallons or less) one $20 20 lb bag should do the trick.

[~_~]

I prefer nice bright white sand like southdown or Aragamax sugar sized or oolitic.

 

I think that "live sand in a bag" is the ugliest sand around. It's all brown and yellowish that has pieces of black crap in there and everything :x

[jdiver]

The AragAlive and Nature's Ocean sands are both primarily a nice white/sand shade with flecks of pink. Brown and yellow with black crap? Are you sure you weren't thinking of the sand in your sandbox?

[lizbeth]

Rinsed Southdown.

[~_~]

Originally posted by jdiver

The AragAlive and Nature's Ocean sands are both primarily a nice white/sand shade with flecks of pink. Brown and yellow with black crap? Are you sure you weren't thinking of the sand in your sandbox?

 

Your looking at the wrong sand maybe.

 

That live sand in a bag I'm talking about is yellow/brown in comparison with Aragamax sugar sized/oolitic and also has flecks of black/dark brown crap in it.

 

Fish stores around here put it in there tanks and sell it like that, although some still have em in the bag. Some of the stuff in the bag doesn't even look like "sand"

[jdiver]

Originally posted by ~_~

Your looking at the wrong sand maybe.

 

That live sand in a bag I'm talking about is yellow/brown in comparison with Aragamax sugar sized/oolitic and also has flecks of black/dark brown crap in it.

 

Fish stores around here put it in there tanks and sell it like that, although some still have em in the bag.  Some of the stuff in the bag doesn't even look like "sand"

 

Gee ~_~ (who are you anyway, Prince?), if your lfs is selling sand with "brown crap in it" (as you so eloquently put it), then that would no doubt explain the coloration, and I'm quite sure it would have lots of bacteria as well. :x

[~_~]

Originally posted by jdiver

Gee ~_~ (who are you anyway, Prince?), if your lfs is selling sand with "brown crap in it" (as you so eloquently put it), then that would no doubt explain the coloration, and I'm quite sure it would have lots of bacteria as well. :x

 

It's that argalive stuff.....

live sand in a bag = brown crap in it

[lizbeth]

The bagged live sand I've seen around here doesn't look too hot either. It's tan and bigger than sugar sized. I've seen brown and black stuff in the bags, no white w/ pink here.

 

I've always wondered why people buy it...it's ugly.

[jdiver]

Ok, the sand I use is ugly, so I guess I just have bad taste, as does my dad, gf, and other firends I've set up tanks for. The one bag of Southdown I used had quite a few bits and pieces of junk in it, but I don't see the need to insult it as someone's sand preference. But hey, whatever floats your topoffs.

[lizbeth]

Geesh jdiver! No need to get snitty. I didn't insult your choice in sand.

 

I was just saying the sand I've seen is not white and pink, it's tan. If the stuff you found was that's great.

 

Southdown does have junk in that's why I said to rinse it. Mine is very white.

[Dave ESPI]

I smell a sand in your eye fight !

 

look at other post on this, this is becoming close to being beat to death like prizim skimmers.

 

My fave, is a mixed sand bed. See my post in ADVANCED FORUMS

The Great Sand Debate.....

[jjharrisx4]

MXpro32...check out this location for potential Southdown

 

Home Depot Colma II #639,2 Colma Blvd

Colma, CA 94014 (650)755-9600 - a local reefer talked them into ordering some

 

At least this is what I heard. Unfortunately, that is quite a ways from my home in the Stockton area.

[jdiver]

Snitty, lizbeth? lol Hardly, but I have always been under the impression that "ugly" was an insult. I frankly could care less. It's sand people! Geesh!