Importance of Sand Bed

[themolt]

Didn't hear much about people saying it was required to put a sand bed then put live sand on top. Now i'm worried it's required.

I just have live sand and was planning to add my LR tonight then live sand and salt water.

 

[themolt]

slowly reading the newbie guides, but a quick response to my question would be appreciated.

 

[demonsp]

Dont understand? LS on top of LS?
How much LS now?
How old is the tank?

 

[themolt]

brand new tank. just received saltwater and LR.

ehhh. i guess. just live sand at the bottom. i don't seem many people with nano tanks mentioning their sand bed. just x lbs of live sand. read numerous guides and none really say use a sand bed then add live sand. just some places.

didn't read to closely about a sand bed it seems.

this is a big no-no?

What i purchased with an explanation. Again, I don't think I picked up on this one.
"The CaribSea Arag-Alive substrate contains the nitrifying bacteria that will help to 'seed' the tank and speed up the cycling process."

Guess the seed part means the sand at the bottom which i didn't pick up on.

 

[demonsp]

Depends on tank setup.FOWLR like LR and no SB.Reef like both.THe LR will convert ammonia and nitrate into hramless nitrogen ( your bio filter ) and the SB will convert ammonia into nitrogen.But only if flow is correct.If flow is to low then the S and LR collect ammonia and nitrate and cause problems. Theres a balance with SB ,LR ,equipment ,Testing , maintance ,water source , and stocking that make a great reef tank.

 

[RyanMcLaughlin]

So you mean put dead sand and then seed it on top w/ Live sand. You dont have to have a sand bed. People go Bare bottom. Sandbeds are good in that they hold bacteria, critters, and you can keep fish that you wouldnt be able to w/o one. The downside is that if it isnt stirred up for a while it starts holding nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia and if it is stirred up can screw up your tank. It is up to you mainly though.

 

[themolt]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11618720#post11618720 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by RyanMcLaughlin
So you mean put dead sand and then seed it on top w/ Live sand. You dont have to have a sand bed. People go Bare bottom. Sandbeds are good in that they hold bacteria, critters, and you can keep fish that you wouldnt be able to w/o one. The downside is that if it isnt stirred up for a while it starts holding nitrate, nitrite, and ammonia and if it is stirred up can screw up your tank. It is up to you mainly though.

this tank is just to experiment and see if i like the hobby and can handle it. if my tank will hold some amount of life with just live sand at the bottom and nothing below i am ok.

so i can just have my live sand at the bottom and thats it? it just may limit what fish/inverts/etc i can have.

 

[RyanMcLaughlin]

Yeah you can have as little or as much as you want. In my tank I only added so much sand so it could support the live rock and be used for a biofilter.