Live Sand in a Bag Suffocates

[Tobman]

So what's up with live sand in a bag. I gather that from a bag, what you get are micro-flora and -fauna. If you get live sand that is scooped off the ocean floor (wild or cultivated) and brought to you more like live rock, then it's going to have macrofauna; snails, and crabs, and stuff.

Seems to me the latter is more natural and diverse; maybe more effective.

 

[jessezm]

I think the point of the live sand in the bag is precisely to get the micro-flora and -fauna that you mentioned, in order to help start the nitrogen cycle. Internet companies and LFS's galore sell live sand from their tanks which are diverse in macro organisms as well. but you can't put that in a boag on a shelf for 6 months--it serves a different, or additional purpose. Aside from that distinction, it is generally not recommended from what I've seen to just scoop sand from the shore into your tank, given the risk you take of introducing unwanted microbes and the like. You are much better off buying sand out of the tanks from fellow reefers or your LFS, in my opinion...

 

[WinkeyWoneye]

agreed:smokin:

 

[drummereef]

Yes, you have the right idea. My experience with Arag-alive from Caribsea was pretty good. One bag reeked of ammonia. Probably sat too long in the store or got hot during delivery. Created a major ammonia spike in the tank. Luckily I had everything out of the tank when I added it.

 

[Tobman]

Well partly what got me thinking was comparing the LFS' recommendation for LS in bags as seen on his shelves vs. a source like from Tampa Bay Saltwater who state:

"Accept no substitutes for live sand, as it cannot be created, but must be harvested well offshore in the ocean to be clean of pollutants and silicates. Live sand collected in this manner will be a mixture of sand, shell bits, corallines, bivalves, starfish, snails, and many organisms not visible to your eye, but very much needed in your tank."

http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com/index.html

 

[drummereef]

Yeah, if I had an option I would go with the fresh stuff. Probably won't do the other again.

 

[Tobman]

Does anyone have experience with Live Sand from http://www.tampabaysaltwater.com/index.html or an equivalent source of fresh live sand? Is it significantly different than Live Rock plus live sand in a bag, in terms of establishing bacterial colonies and substrate critters, long term.

 

[RichConley]

Just buy regular sand and then get a couple of cups of stuff from local hobbiests.

 

[dc]

I've bought ls in a bag before, mostly because I was having a hard time finding enough fine sand. Basically it's just like bacteria in a bottle, with sand in it. There was nothing alive in there that I could see.