[D_Bo]

I love the idea of live sand because of the benifits, one of wich being the many organisms already present. All kinds of things you would never get starting off with regular sand.

But I heard about running into trouble with star fish that attack corals. Also trying to find a place that sells it enough where it doesn't sit around to long and build up way to many nitrates and pretty much dies off.

So where can I get some live sand that doesn't have a bunch of parasites and nuisence organisms that isn't stagnant?

What do you recommend starting off? I know live sand is going to be very expensive in comparison to regular sand, so what would be a good ratio for live to regular.
Should I mix them up or layer?


72 gallon bowfront

Thanks

[mtfabel]

If you are interested in buying live sand go to premium aquatics and get it there. It is the cheapest I have ever seen it and that is where i got mine and my tank has done well since day 1. Yes you can mix live with regular. But its best IMO to try and keep the live closer to the top of the bed. Live Sand: Premium Aquatics

[D_Bo]

What sand did you use?

I yhink I remember reading that Indo-Pacific and Fiji Live Sand tended to be the culprits for the distructive stars.

[bnkkn]

A salt water tank is something ive wanted for a few years now. But its an expensive hobby and if i did start one, i would like to do it right and get a nice sized tank (shooting for a 60 to 75 gal). I would like to do it right; but im young and money is tight so i am also open to cutting corners...i just dont want a catastrophe to ensue due to my thriftiness. anyway...The following is my question:

Can i use Sand from my local beach in my tank? I live 20 min from the Pacific ocean, but i live in Washington state (Not Tropical). The sand at the beaches around here is kinda gray color so it is nothing flashy, but invertebrates love it!. Clams, Sand-dollars, sea cucumbers and other invertebrates can dig deep in it, it is perfect for a deep sand bed aquarium. I was wondering if i use a majority of this [Washington] sand in my aquarium if i kill off all life that lives in it. I may either use boiling water, bleach, or let it dry out for a few days in the sun to sanitize it, i just dont want any barnacles or pests to make a home in my tank. Then could i cut this sterile sand with some premium fiji live sand, then in a few weeks i should have i nice colony of microbes. Is there something I'm missing or something that I'm overlooking here? Thanks for helping me out.

[tyoung]

IMO I would not use the costal sand. What would worry me would be pollutants. I am not a chemist, so, I am not sure how you could garantee sterile sand. I would pay the $$ for the premium live sand mixed with regular sand. I would not cut corners when it comes to your biological filters. If you wanted to save some money, I would look for a used tank setup. You can save almost half of what the retail price from what I have seen in my local papers. You just have to be patient and watch for a set up that will work for you.

Another thing to consider is this, if you buy things that are "cheap", do you save money in the long run? If you read some threads on this site, you will see that there are many people that ended up replaceing equipmet because of quality or because of breakage, and worse yet, loss of their livestock! So, you tell me how much they "saved" in the end. You will find out that you get what you pay for in this hobby. Shop around and look at different skimmers for example, or sumps. Some of the things you will need are pricey, best bet is to visit a few local pet stores and talk to the staff that works there. I always ask if they have a tank and what do they use. Often, they will be able to lead you in the right direction and can offer "real" saveings on equipmet along with advice. Hope this helps you out and best of luck!!

[semy]

do not mix the sand....i would get live sand from ebay.....its about $30 for 30pounds and live rock and snails.....there are different sands on there but they all have macro algae which is good,the bags can have small starfish,cucumbers,corals ,mushrooms,polyps,and many other creatures....i am oredering one right now......cause one of my buddies got it and it is a good deal.....but you might want to get maybe two or three bags.....i would only recomend what i would put in my tanks.....but you would want to have the susbtrate about 2-4"thick thats why you would need to order so much........and remembers to get sand sifting creatures to oxygenate the beneficial bacteria.....

[bnkkn]

Thanks a lot guys. I will probably buy my sand off ebay, thanks Semy for that tip. Tyoung, do you know what companies or products to stay away from? do you have any suggestions for someone to get the most bang for their buck? Thanks for all the help, you guys are great!

[Brians125]

www.saltwaterfish.com................40lbs is 109 with free shipping
G/L Brian

[dmachog]

Question: Live sand or crushed coral. Like the looks of coral, but is sand better for the livestock?

Also, any tips on the pros and cons of each?

[crazygator]

live sand, by and far , c.c. only pro is it looks nice, many bottom feeders need the sand to sift through and the c.c. is just to large and doesn't have the capability to house the benifical bacteria.

the star fish that everyone istalking is a white sand sifting starfish. i have four in my tank and they keep the sand bottom stirred so it doesn't become stagnant. they may cause trouble with corals but if there is enough food on the glass and sand thy will never get that far. also they stay very small less than an inch