I want to make my own live sand and rock.

[JoeyH08]

I bought a complete setup from a couple that had to move to a new job. Their tank was awesome but had been neglected and had pests everywhere. I tossed the sand as had been suggested here and cleaned and bleached the rock. I finished installing my RODI unit tonight and the next step for me is creating some saltwater and adding the rock and some new sand. I want to save money if I can by purchasing some sand from Home Depot and mixing it with live sand bought from my LFS. I also plan on seeding my dead rock with live rock from the same LFS. Heres what I had in mind from Home Depot.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/SAKRETE-50-lb-Natural-Play-Sand-100033813/100632108

Is this acceptable to do? I understand it will take time to turn this rock live. Im in no hurry, I find pleasure in the actual work thats taking place. I have a 90 gallon tank so I was thinking 50 pounds of the play sand, mixed with a bag of 20 pound live sand. I also plan on stirring the sand to make sure no dead areas arise. I also have a 40 gallon sump but will only use live sand in there as a substrate for my refugium. I plan on introducing pods into there.

So is my plan viable? Am I looking at around a month or so to ensure my sand has made properly? Any tips or comments?

Thanks for reading!

 

[j_mazzy]

no. That sand is most likely too fine and is not aragonite, probably silicate. look for aragonite or crushed coral as a natural buffer.

 

[CStrickland]

It's not about growing bacteria in the sand, it will get live by itself. You couldn't stop your sand from turning live if you wanted to. It's about the composition of the sand, what sort of rocks got chipped down into very tiny pieces to create it. Also the size of the grains.

For reef tanks people choose aragonite sand because it comes from busted down reef rocks. Other sand might be from a different kind of rock. If the rock had a lot of silica in it you may have issues with diatoms, which are a pest that lots kind of like algae but can only grow if there's enough silica. Aragonite has a little bit of silica but other sand can have a lot.

Sand for reef tanks is also sold by size more carefully, but other sand can have big pebbles and a lot of fine dust. The easiest sand for a tank is small enough that it doesn't trap poop in it, but also big enough not to blow around. Homedepot sand isn't separated carefully enough to choose the best grade.

You don't need to add the sand in the beginning. I actually prefer to cycle a tank without it. It's easier to get the rocks arranged right and you can move it around until you like your setup. Plus, the first few weeks or month of the tank are a little dirtier. It's easier to remove the dead bacteria and organics that will flush out if they aren't getting mixed into the sand. Once every bring settles down you can add well rinsed dry sand and it will get populated by bacteria very quickly. The live rock from the lfs will seed the sand just fine. It will also add the pods, you don't need to buy them separate.

 

[bundybear1981]

As mentioned previously that sand isnt suitable for aquariums. It will give you nothing but issues. Crushed coral can be problematic if its course too (it tends to trap food and waste). Most run aragonite sand, usually 2mm to 5mm grain size. If its too fine then the pumps are likely to blow it around.
Also most the time a refuge is ran bare bottom.

 

[ratherbeflyen]

Don't give into the marketing crap that you have to pay $100+ for aquarium substrate to have a successful tank and just use what ever you want. The problem with play sand it's so fine that it will be blown around your tank. The sand will get into your filters/sump and pile sand in some spots and leave other places completely bare. It will also cloud your water. If you are looking for cheap sand try pool filter sand. It is larger grain of a consistent size and cheap. I'm sure someone will post after this that it's going to be somehow dangerous to use. I have used it before and never had any problems. I also find it has a much more natural look than aragonite that I personally like. I'm currently using a far more "dangerous" sand in my reef tank than pool filter sand and my tank is doing just fine. I'm sure you can have a successful tank with that play sand too, as long as you don't mind it blowing around.

 

[whosurcaddie]

Stop^^^^

 

[j_mazzy]

Silicate sand and calcium based sand are different animals

 

[billdogg]

Don't give into the marketing crap that you have to pay $100+ for aquarium substrate to have a successful tank and just use what ever you want. The problem with play sand it's so fine that it will be blown around your tank. The sand will get into your filters/sump and pile sand in some spots and leave other places completely bare. It will also cloud your water. If you are looking for cheap sand try pool filter sand. It is larger grain of a consistent size and cheap. I'm sure someone will post after this that it's going to be somehow dangerous to use. I have used it before and never had any problems. I also find it has a much more natural look than aragonite that I personally like. I'm currently using a far more "dangerous" sand in my reef tank than pool filter sand and my tank is doing just fine. I'm sure you can have a successful tank with that play sand too, as long as you don't mind it blowing around.

Stop^^^^

What he said, x 1000

Can you use pool filter sand? Yes. Is it the best choice? Not by a very long shot. This hobby is not an inexpensive one. Petsmart has #30 bags of arragonite for very reasonable price - last time I looked, $29.99. Get 2 of them. Skip "Live" sand. If you want to seed your sand bed, get a cup or two of sand from your LFS or another reefer, but you really don't even need to do that.

Silicate sand and calcium based sand are different animals

Any burrowing or tunneling fish/inverts will thank you for getting arragonite sand. If you look at the two types under a magnifying glass, you will see that arragonite sand is smooth edged, while silicate sand is all sharp edges. Which would you rather filter through your delicate gills?

You will also miss out on the buffering capacity of the arragonite if you go the other way.

Yes, there are places you can cut corners to save a few $$$. Initial setup is not one of them.

jm.02

 

[gone fishin]

What billdogg said.

 

[j_mazzy]

What he said, x 1000

Can you use pool filter sand? Yes. Is it the best choice? Not by a very long shot. This hobby is not an inexpensive one. Petsmart has #30 bags of arragonite for very reasonable price - last time I looked, $29.99. Get 2 of them. Skip "Live" sand. If you want to seed your sand bed, get a cup or two of sand from your LFS or another reefer, but you really don't even need to do that.



Any burrowing or tunneling fish/inverts will thank you for getting arragonite sand. If you look at the two types under a magnifying glass, you will see that arragonite sand is smooth edged, while silicate sand is all sharp edges. Which would you rather filter through your delicate gills?

You will also miss out on the buffering capacity of the arragonite if you go the other way.

Yes, there are places you can cut corners to save a few $$$. Initial setup is not one of them.

jm.02

I understand which is why I said Silicate vs Aragonite are 2 different animals... meant to convey that they are not alike and you should use calcium based sand.

 

[billdogg]

I understand which is why I said Silicate vs Aragonite are 2 different animals... meant to convey that they are not alike and you should use calcium based sand.

Wasn't cutting on you in any way. Just clarifying why.

 

[JoeyH08]

What he said, x 1000

Can you use pool filter sand? Yes. Is it the best choice? Not by a very long shot. This hobby is not an inexpensive one. Petsmart has #30 bags of arragonite for very reasonable price - last time I looked, $29.99. Get 2 of them. Skip "Live" sand. If you want to seed your sand bed, get a cup or two of sand from your LFS or another reefer, but you really don't even need to do that.



Any burrowing or tunneling fish/inverts will thank you for getting arragonite sand. If you look at the two types under a magnifying glass, you will see that arragonite sand is smooth edged, while silicate sand is all sharp edges. Which would you rather filter through your delicate gills?

You will also miss out on the buffering capacity of the arragonite if you go the other way.

Yes, there are places you can cut corners to save a few $$$. Initial setup is not one of them.

jm.02

Thanks for the tip! Ive never really looked at Petsmart for saltwater stuff. They are having a sale right now that if you buy an item thats online only, you get 30% off AND free shipping. I was able to pick up 80 pounds of arragonite for 48 bucks! My LFS charges 20 bucks for 10 pounds of sand so I was trying to avoid that.

 

[j_mazzy]

Wasn't cutting on you in any way. Just clarifying why.

My misunderstanding billdog. Hard to convey syntax in a text

 

[gone fishin]

Thanks for the tip! Ive never really looked at Petsmart for saltwater stuff. They are having a sale right now that if you buy an item thats online only, you get 30% off AND free shipping. I was able to pick up 80 pounds of arragonite for 48 bucks! My LFS charges 20 bucks for 10 pounds of sand so I was trying to avoid that.

They have Instant Ocean salt sales every now and again as well.