Re-post about LR And LS.......

[Jman521]

This is something that I dove into when I set up my first tank, which I no longer have . Now that I've decided to set up a newer and smaller tank (approx. 24-30G) I'm going to go a new route and put a lot more research into it before I start buying everything. I have some questions about the LS.....

1. When buying live sand, I've read several different threads........IS it ok to buy some kind of "Playground sand for the BED then add a few bags of LS on top of that to make it all live? Just thinking that might be a little less expensive, because making a Deep Sand bed can get expensive using all crushed coral, or Agronite etc...
2. Is it better to buy bags of live sand from 4 or 5 different sources ie: 4 different people on Ebay that are selling livesand from tanks they've had set up for years.....(I hear this will give a better diversity of organisms and bacteria that will be in your tank)


Ok, onto LR...........
1. I read somewhere that Buying Uncured LR is better because you can get it directly from the ocean and that there will be a more diverse group of organisms living on it which will in turn give you better and more variety in your tank itself.
2. If you buy uncured LR what is the difference in the Cycling process? Does it take longer? Are there Extra Steps?

[serpentman]

1.) You can go with white tropical playsand. Don't waste your money on commercial bags of live sand. You really only need small portion to seed your sandbed.
2.) I am not 100% how much a difference it will make. However, I think its a good idea and won't hurt to try.

LR
1.) Its all a matter of perspective. Yes with uncured rock you get more fauna. However the bad news is most of it will die off due to travel, etc. With that being said, on a new tank setup, I prefer uncured anyways as it is usually significantly less money and there is no livestock to put in jeopardy.

2.) As far as cycling goes, uncured rock will take longer as there is likely to me more die-off than cured rock. The steps are similar just the amount of time differs.

[J. Montgomery]

Don't buy live sand, its a waste of money. Some playground sands are fine to use (like Southdown). I'm using crushed aragonite. I used a mix of fine sand and pebble size . . . that was a bad idea, don't get any large sized sand pieces b/c they'll turn brown/purple with coraline and it doesn't look pretty. I've been siphoning off all the large pieces I can and its a pain in the @ss. If I was to do everything over I'd strongly consider going bare bottom, or just an inch of sand.

If you're setting up a new tank, buying uncured live rock is fine. When you get it, put it in the tank with flow and heat (maybe skimmer) and wait a few weeks until your ammonia, nitrates, and nitrites go to zero.

[Jman521]

thanks for the information. Soo This whole barebottom thing....It seems like it'd be kinda ugly, and putting rock directly on the bottom of the glass tank without anything between it, isnt that a bad thing? Doesn't the sand create the filtration that you need for cycling and for daily upkeep? And you can buy that southDown sand at like Lowes or Home Depot right?

[SaltyDr]

Southdown is no longer available. The only thing close is crushed limestone. Lots of people use the silica based sand without any problems. The theory with the agragonite sands is that it provides buffering to maintain proper pH. It is my understanding, however, that the buffering does not really kick in until a pH of around 7.6 which is WAY too low and most things will be dead/dying if your pH gets that low. Besides, if you have LR, that too will provided buffering. Mixing sands with significantly different sizes is also not a good idea, because over time the larger pieces will find their way to the top. Crushed coral is also not recommended because it will trap a lot of detritus and you'll have to vacuum it all the time to try to keep your nitrates down. My recommendation is either go with the playsand from HD or bite the bullet and get the bagged aragonite from your LFS.

[poppin_fresh]

Southdown is very hard to find. I have used aragonite sand (non-live) and I have also used regular old silica sand, both sucessfully. The only problem is that silica sand tends to not be as white.

Uncured LR is fine to start a tank with, but require longer to cycle. You need to remember that if you order "cured LR" and have it shipped, it will de-cure slightly during shipping.

[Jman521]

very good........Thanks, Soo on to my next question. I want to create a refugium for my tank and I was on EBAY looking around. I saw these HAng on Acrylic Refugiums, they are rectangular and have the hoses built into them, all you have to do is put the sand in the center chamber with the algae or whatever that plant is that you keep in yoru refugium haha and a few snails , hook the pump up and then let it go.........What I was wondering is, would it be smart to go ahead and buy that refugium and get it all set up and leave the light on it so that it can cycle itself through with it's live rock while I'm still preparing for my main tank? I ask because I could go ahead and buy the refugium setup now and at least let it start cycling and I'll feel like I've actually began my SaltWater adventure at least haha. That sound like a smart idea? I'm sooo full of questions, I have a million of em :-)