Live sand?

[sharkboy]

Have a few questions on the best way to put sand in my tank. I have a 215 gal tank. I am in the process of stocking it with live rock. Presently, I only have about 150lbs of it. I also had a question on what type of sand. Is the sand that is sold in bags as live sand really "alive"? What are my options? I have a sml 30 gal that has been running for about 2yrs. Can I use some of this sand to "seed" my new tank? If so, what kind of sand do I put in it and where can I get it?

[dwdenny]

yes use the sand from the 30g to help seed the new tank. I bought some sand from a member here that I will use for my tank. I am sure if you look through the for sale forum you can find some that way.

[Ping]

The object of "SEEDING" a new sandbed with live sand is to give a bacterial jump start to your sand bed. IMO save your money and dont buy live sand if you already have an established system. A cup or 2 is all you need to speed up the biological activity.

Oh and to put it in the tank after the rock is already in place pour the sand through a pvc pipe to lessen the sand storm.

[sharkboy]

Is sand from the gulf coast such as South Padre something that could be used in an aquarium? Pros..Cons?

[Bill S]

Con: it's illegal to take?

[sharkboy]

OH......

[brewercm]

Every time I go home from the coast I seem to take a ton of sand with no problems. Real PITA to get out of the trucks carpets also.
We have an old member here that used to use the sand from down there, he just used to always make sure he'd get his from the dunes where it was actually cleaner. Not saying to break the laws here, just check into what you can and can't take first to make sure.

[Bill S]

I was THINKING the exact same thing... If every vehicle takes home only a cup (how do you get away with only a cup of sand in car/truck??)Yes, dune sand would likely be VERY clean. However, if someone spies you with a shovel on the dunes...

[sharkboy]

It was just a thought. I did not know it was ILLEGAL. It's that I need enough sand for a 215 and fuge and don't want to have to buy 20 bags of "live" sand at a LFR. Any suggestions?

[hobogato]

i dont think it is illegal, but it is silica based and may give you problems with diatoms.