Sand Question

[phish guy]

i am looking to add sand into my 150 gallon when its all set up but i am not sure what type of sand to use. i know there are the bags of live sand with the water still in it, at any local fish shop, but is there any other sand i could use that would be safe for my reef? dry sand or any other live sand you may know of? 25 bucks for a 20 pound bag would just be killin me. any suggestions would be great. thank you
andrew

[Psirex]

Depending on the store you may be able to find it for about 20 for 30lbs of dry sand, I got mine at Petsmart....

[phish guy]

is there any dry sand out there that would be safe to use for a reef?

[Psirex]

is there any dry sand out there that would be safe to use for a reef?

any aragonite should be safe this is what I used for my sump/refugium -

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=11147301

and my display sand is black

[Hal]

is there any dry sand out there that would be safe to use for a reef?
Sure, lots. Many of our sponsors and other online reef supply places will sell all types of sand. They come in different colors and degree of courseness.

You want to avoid the silicate based sand and get a calcium/aragonite based sand. You can test it with some vinegar. A calcium/aragonite based sand will fizz when you put vinegar on it.

Save your money on the bag of "live" sand. You'll get the same results from buying some live rock rubble and mud that's been sitting at the bottom of somebody's tank, and it's a lot cheaper. Better yet, just ask for a dixie cup full of sand from a local reefer. The bacteria will multiply fast enough, and you'll even get some other lifeforms this way too.

[phish guy]

i have a 90 gallon tank right now with live sand. i could just take a little from there if i use dry sand. i just was wondering if using dry sand would be unsafe or there would be no bacteria.

[Mr.Richard.Wood]

I know this sounds crazy, but I welcome the challenge to prove my habit ineffective. For years now, I have collected my Rocks and my sand from the Maine coast beaches. I have placed them in the tank without issues what so ever. (however-) I have since learned that it is not such a great idea to do this, but (1) what is the difference between this beach sand, and the sand that people buy in the store? (2) I am unclear as to "how" the sand sold in stores claim to have removed unbeneficial bacteria that would harm your tank, while keeping the beneficial bacteria alive? (3) why not collect the sand yourself- boil with water to kill everything- strain it- dry it- place it into your tank? (4) can anyone justify paying an incredible amount of money for something that can be collected for free? (again) I would love to hear the logic. I might be missing something in the grand scheme of things... Thanks guys- Happy new year!!

[Hal]

It's not "unsafe" to use dry sand. Most reefers started with that. It just means that there won't be any bacteria on it to start, so you'll likely have a cycle. Bacteria will come in off live rock, cups of sand from other tanks, fish, etc., or you can buy the "live sand". If you're going to be adding live rock anyway I would just use that.

I know that Premium Aquatics (a sponsor) also sells the sludge from the bottom of their live rock tanks for $1.49 (a cup?). Lots of us have purchased this several times to add bacteria and microscopic biodiversity to our sandbeds. I'm sure other vendors offer something similar. It's not pretty, but it works.
http://premiumaquatics.com/aquatic-supplies/L-CRUDE.html

Some people use Miracle Mud for the same purposes, but personally I'm skeptical of the claims they make except for the adding bacteria part; there's really no scientific evidence to back up the rest of their claims.

[Psirex]

Petsmart has it on sale today/this week for $15 for 30lbs if you a petsmart member.