j0dy77 Posted December 29, 2003 Share Posted December 29, 2003 I am setting up my first Nano-Reef and was wondering about the purchase of live sand. Should it be sand directly from a tank in a LFS or something like this Live Sand from Petco The stuff from Petco is supposed to be live sand that is sold in a large 20lb bag similar to crushed coral. Thanks for the help. Link to comment
caja Posted December 29, 2003 Share Posted December 29, 2003 You can use the bagged live sand, it is full of beneficial bacteria but that's about it. I would suggest getting a cup or so of LS from an established tank to add diversity to your sandbed. Link to comment
j0dy77 Posted December 30, 2003 Author Share Posted December 30, 2003 Thanks caja. I have asked at a few LFS and they have both pointed me to the bags. I don't want to sound like an idiot asking for the stuff out of the tanks when I am supposed to be using stuff from the bags. Better to look like an idiot here first. lol Has anyone ever used bagged LS to start up a nano reef? Has anyone had tremendous success or failure? All help is much appreciated. Link to comment
mache62 Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 I just started a 10g yesterday with bagged sand...Arag-Live. Pet-co has an insane mark up on the sand though, shop around a little if you can. I paid $26 for a 20lb bag not the 10lbs they want to sell you. I did buy their sea water though.... Link to comment
matt the fiddler Posted December 30, 2003 Share Posted December 30, 2003 i like the bioactiv.. if you are in a rush on your cycle- that will give you maybe 1 week or so. other than that... dead sand seeded by live rock.. and a cup of live sand from any reefer's tank you run into. ooo i also have gotten hooked on black sand. really pulls the contrasts out in everything. you get teh hawaii peppered beach if you seed it though,,, Link to comment
j0dy77 Posted December 31, 2003 Author Share Posted December 31, 2003 Thanks guys. I will most likely get a bag of the live sand, and try and get a cup from an established tank. I am really in no rush to cycle the tank... learned my lesson on that one. This will be a very long process and hopefully a successfull one. Any other things i should look out for or can add to this setup? I bought a 7 Gallon bow front AGA. A whisper 20 power filter (i liked the fit better then the aquaclear). Ebo-Jager 75 Watt heater Custom sea life 32 watt retro fit kit lifegard's little time and temp for accurate temp. I am currently installing the retro kit and will be looking to make my live rock and sand purchase in the next week or so. Wish me luck. Link to comment
JLTRUK Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 bagged live sand is very common to use. I like Natures Ocean Link to comment
koolyce Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 I heard the aragonite live sand is piece of ... How you think live stock in the sand can live with the same water, no light, no food for month and month? Better to go with aragonite sand, and with the time and LR you bought, the sand gonna be alive. That's my opinion, but stuff from U.S.A vs Canada are not always the same brand so.... Link to comment
fishtankbabe Posted December 31, 2003 Share Posted December 31, 2003 Originally posted by koolyce I heard the aragonite live sand is piece of ... How you think live stock in the sand can live with the same water, no light, no food for month and month? From what I understand, the nitrifying bacteria can survive for quite a while, they just go dormant until there is ammonia present for them to eat again. The bagged stuff is "live" in the sense that it has the bacteria in it, just no critters. Link to comment
j0dy77 Posted December 31, 2003 Author Share Posted December 31, 2003 Well thanks guys. I think I am going to buy a bag of the live sand and just use that. I am going to buy a little extra, very high quality live rock to balance out. Things should work out well. Link to comment
surfingelite Posted January 1, 2004 Share Posted January 1, 2004 The CaribSea Arag-Alive indo-pacific black live sand looks cool, but does anyone know if it is works as well as the fiji pink or the Bahamas Oolite. Link to comment
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