Sand...sand and more sand

[tsproul]

I've bitten the bullet and have a tank - thanks to Trevdog.

The cost of bagged 'live' sand is pretty prohibitive to purchase enough to do the entire tank.....as well as live rock - but I've been following that thread on DIY rock from concrete and such.

Where all do you guys purchase sand? I went to All About Fish and it is running $40 for 50#'s....anywhere else that isn't as expensive for dry sand? Knowing what I know about bacteria and other critter growth, I know I'll only need a couple bags of 'live' sand and a few weeks to get a whole bed of 'live' sand.

Tim

 

[Thales]

I don't use any sand.

That said, the 'live' sand in bags doesn't really give you much. You will be better served buying dry sand and getting a cup of sand from an established tank.

 

[sfsuphysics]

Alright, for aragonite sand (calcium based) you are not going to get much cheaper than that. If you want cheap stuff in this part of the country you'll have to deal with silica based sand (don't ask if its ok... there are more threads/discussions on this topic then there are sands on all the world's beaches).

Bacteria will grow on its own without the need of ANYTHING from any other source (so start with dry.. you'll have bacteria.. not an issue). The "Critters" you'll most likely not find any in bags of "live" sand (I think the term they use now is "bio active" .. big waste of money FYI.. although they used to have a very nice white/pink look to it).

Depending upon the size of the tank (and hence howmuch sand you want) you sometimes can find people who want to get rid of their sand you can pick up fairly cheaply.

 

[xinumaster]

sand alternative

sand alternative

You can try Pavestone Products as an alternative for southdown. I'm not sure where you can find them but I think they might be available in marble/granite store. You can also use the Arisona Lime if that is available locally. Here is the picture of the Pavestone Product.

 

[dantodd]

hmmmm...... I'm going to need sand soon. Does that stuff really work well? what does it look like?

 

[tsproul]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7547751#post7547751 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dantodd
hmmmm...... I'm going to need sand soon. Does that stuff really work well? what does it look like?

Yeah,

And how much does it cost?


Tim

 

[xinumaster]

You'll find a lot of informations in this threat about the Pavestone Products:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=676401

 

[Sparkss]

has anyone in NoCal found this locally ? If so, which HD and in which department ? I know most appear to have it in the garden department, but I just wanted to be sure here locally

 

[sfsuphysics]

Yeah someone go run to homedepot, I want to see if this is another great goose chase like with the southdown stuff, since the guy mentions it's mined from So Carolina I just can't see this as the only alternative to ship here.

 

[xinumaster]

I remember someone from LA found it in Las Vegas HD. Maybe next time I go there I'll make sure I hit all HD stores.

 

[tsproul]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7548100#post7548100 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by xinumaster
You'll find a lot of informations in this threat about the Pavestone Products:

http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=676401

Thanks!


After going through that thread....I think I'll bite the bullet and get 4-6 bags from All About Fish. The possible downsides with all the fine dust combined with the lack of large financial gain (IIRC, someone said it wasn't all that much cheaper) doesn't seem worth it to this newb. I'll have enough to deal with since I'm new to reef tanks.

Tim

 

[xinumaster]

You're right Tim. You'll be better off buying a aragonite sand if you tank does not require a lot of sand. But for those guys thinking of setting up 300g and up this would be worth investigating. Buying a 50 bags of aragonite sand at $30 a bag is too costly compared to $5 a bag of southdown or the Pavestone sand.

 

[Sparkss]

you're right xinu, for a large tank you are talking about a couple of hundred difference, especially if you are planning on a DSB.