Adding a little Live Sand from another tank?

[tarantula]

I have a 5 yr. old reef tank and have read an article by Bob Fenner suggesting adding a bit of live sand from another established tank. I was thinking of adding 1 pound in the 29 gal.? Has anyone done this?

 

[lalav02]

I have done this three times( 3 tank moves with all new dry sand) and it works fine. Just don't add a lot. One pound should be a good amount to seed the new sand.

 

[d3rryc]

I've heard that you should periodically trade sand with fellow reefers to keep the bacterial populations diverse.

 

[scottwhitson]

I would be very careful with who you trade with, you could end up with I lch if their fish have it.

 

[returnofsid]

There used to be a club, somewhat local to me, that would meet once a month. Each month, each member would bring a cup of sand. All the sand would be mixed together and then redistributed.

This would definitely benefit and encourage biological diversity.

However, Scott is absolutely right. The possibility of spreading Ich is a very valid concern, since Ich spends a good part of it's life cycle, living in the sand bed.

 

[aleonn]

As long as the LS is from a reputable source, in that there's no disease or prior history of medication usage, then go for it.