[Jeremy0322]

I was in a lfs recently, one of 2 that we have around here, and this one was not very impressive...AT ALL. Anyways, I found this sand there and for 50 cents a pound(store price) it looked like something worth looking into..

petnetoutlet.com - Product Information [Estes Ultra Reef Marine Sand - 6/5lb bags]

Any thoughts or suggestions about it. It said that it was mainly Silica sand but wouldn't it still become live if i seeded it with some other form of live sand or mud. Would i just be better off buying actual "Live Sand" because with the first sand i would more than likely have to dose some form of calcium given that it is almost all silica. Also, would it still work for gobies or would it be a problem. The more i think about the more I am leaning towards actual live sand, but i was just checking here before i went and spent the money.

[reefnoob1991]

Gobies don't really do much when it comes to sand other than pairing up with pistol shrimp who then build the burrows for them. I think it would be much more beneficial to get live sand...it would probably be much better in the long run and can be found in the same size grain.

[Jeremy0322]

Maybe i mixed up the fish i was thinking about. What is the fish that filters sand through its gills?

[e_baer]

Yeah, the sand sifting gobies will eat the organisms from the sand, but should also be fed other foods.

As I am in the process of setting up my seagrass tank I have also been doign a lot of research on sand. I feel as though a 50/50 mix would be best for your money and for the sand bed. Make sure that the live sane goes on top of the "dry" sand.

[Jeremy0322]

Would that cheap "crap" up top work well for the dry sand?

[reefnoob1991]

I say just go with all live sand, very beneficial for your biological filter and many organisms thrive in it, which will become food for your fish/invertebrates.

[Jeremy0322]

Eventually if you mix the dead with the live it will all be live. I just am not crazy that it is silica based and wont help with the PH.

[reefnoob1991]

No live sand really comes that color, mostly just pure white in different grain sizes...

[Jeremy0322]

That is not the color i would be getting. They sell white, tan, dark tan, black, gray, blue, black, pink, coral colored, they have a nice mix to say the least. I want it to look as real as it can so i will be using the Tan color.

[reefnoob1991]

I'm just curious as to why your going with a mix of both instead of full live sand?

[e_baer]

It is much cheaper for reason number one.

reasons number 2, it puts less strain on the oceans natural coral reefs from which this LS would be coming from.

and "dry sand" can come from anywhere.

[reefnoob1991]

Oh I gotcha , live sand is muy cheap around here so I figured it would be around there too

[e_baer]

well, you are also a lot closer to the caribbean so to ship it to a lfs would be cheaper.

[reefnoob1991]

I went with the CaribSea kind with the bacteria magnet...it has stayed great and my nitrates havent gotten above 10 ever

[e_baer]

I have the same kind in my 55g. around here, it is 30$ for 20lbs of LS.

[Jeremy0322]

Same here Elliott, but then again we only live about 7 hours apart.

[reefnoob1991]

I think it was like 30$ for a 40 pound bag or something like that

[NATIVEVAMAN]

The reason for using live sand is that it is almost entirly calcium carbonate and contains no silicates or a very tiny amount.Slica based sand will cause diatom outbreaks of epic proportion.The very small amount of silicates that may be in calcium carbonate will cause diatom outbrakes imagine if it was all silica.I recomend you pass this stuff up for the more expensive real live sand.

[lynnvangsnes]

I used bagged sugar sized aragonite. It was not alive, but after a few months with LR, there is lots of activity. It's about 5 inches deep. My ornate goby does an excellent job of cleaning the top of the sand. I have several hermit crabs that also help in the tank maintenence. Astrea turbo snails, cerith, nassarius, trochus, and bumblebee snails all will help to keep the sand bed clean. I also have a sand sifting star, two queen conchs, and a horshoe crab that keep the sand stirred up. Aragonite (at least in theory), will aid in maintaining you ph as well. I have read (I know I will get thrashed for this) that silica based sand can increase your phosphate levels, hence causing some unwanted algae growth. Avoid getting playground sand from a hardware store to do it the quick way. Sand is a better substrate than crushed coral, IMO.