Need Help With Substrate

[ANIM4L]

I am trying to figure out what to use as my substrate in my 60 gallon, my options are:

*Carib-Sea Marinesand (SUPER FINE, i didnt know if this would harbor any life in it, because if it would then i want to use it since i have 70lbs of it laying around, but if it harbors no life, then that wouldnt help with my LS in the tank)

*Live Sand

*Aragonite

how much sand should i use and how much of each kind, after all my research i have done on this, i will have ATLEAST 3 inches of sand, preferably 4-5 inches. If i dont use LS at all, how long would it take if i put LR ontop of my sand to colonize on it? thanks for the help!

p.s. - i guess my MAIN question is whill the marinesand work well in my tank (will be reef tank)
Carib-Sea Marinesand
It is the first one, it is under the freshwater section, i have seen lots of trusted LFS use this in thier saltwater tanks, but i need it to harbor the live stuff... Thanks again!

 

[fraservet]

I wouldn't use that, mainly because of one word "inert".

I would want my substrate to help act as a pH buffer, which coral sand, aragonite etc. will.


Also, since it is so fine, it probably wouldn't be ideal for all the bugs etc. that you want to live in the substrate.

I'm not a big fan of deep sand beds, and am not well informed on them, so I'll let others answer about the rest.

 

[Aquascaper]

I am trying to figure out what to use as my substrate in my 60 gallon, my options are:

*Carib-Sea Marinesand (SUPER FINE, i didnt know if this would harbor any life in it, because if it would then i want to use it since i have 70lbs of it laying around, but if it harbors no life, then that wouldnt help with my LS in the tank)

*Live Sand

*Aragonite

how much sand should i use and how much of each kind, after all my research i have done on this, i will have ATLEAST 3 inches of sand, preferably 4-5 inches. If i dont use LS at all, how long would it take if i put LR ontop of my sand to colonize on it? thanks for the help!

p.s. - i guess my MAIN question is whill the marinesand work well in my tank (will be reef tank)
Carib-Sea Marinesand
It is the first one, it is under the freshwater section, i have seen lots of trusted LFS use this in thier saltwater tanks, but i need it to harbor the live stuff... Thanks again!

Any substrate will 'harbour' life once it is seeded, just the same as any type of foam pad will seed in a FW filter. The 'life' consists of bacteria, pods, worms and other small crustaceans which will all move in off cured Live Rock given time. There is no set time span for the colonisation of substrate from Live Rock only that it will happen quicker the more rock you use and the more mature that rock is.

If after all your research you have decided on 4" - 5" of substrate then I take it your going to develop a Deep Sand Bed actually in your main tank, something I personally wouldn't do or know anyone who has but good luck with it. DSB's are quite tricky and if you get it wrong it can have disasterous results and may even wipe out your tank.

 

[ANIM4L]

ok so what do you suggest for the substarte (what sand to use) and how deep?

 

[Aquascaper]

It's seems that i've been over this subject quite a few times recently.......

Substrate kept below 4" will allow enough space for burrowing invets, etc. but is unlikely to develop into an anaerobic environment providing there is plenty of sifters like snails, bristle worms, etc. moving through it.
Substrate is a very good tool for buffering the pH of your tank so choose one that will provide this, ie. Aragonite, Crushed Coral, etc.

In short - stay away from depths over 4" and don't use inert/stable substrates like silica sand, crushed marble, manmade gravels.

I personally prefer crushed coral of different grades (grain size)

HTH

 

[ANIM4L]

ok so what about 1 part marine sand by carib sea, 1 part crushed coral (small grade), and 1 part aragonite? its a mixture for different types of substrate, and the crushed coral and aragonite will buffer. all three of this will turn into live sand eventually, even the marine sand? i made a link above i think to the marine sand if u want to see it, it is EXTREMELY fine! thanks a lot for your help!!!

 

[crazyelece]

Can I ask why you so desperately want to use the marine sand? Everything I have seen its no cheaper than standard aggronite so why not just get the aggronite. The very fine sand can also be bad as it makes the sand anerobic at smaller depths. You can get aggronite in many sizes, the smallest is referred to as sugar size and should be just as fine as the marine sand.

 

[ANIM4L]

im not desperate to use the marine sand, i just happen to have 60 pounds laying around, so if i could use atleast one bag of 20 that would be cool, im just looking for help on how to make the most efficient substarte for my reef tank.

 

[ANIM4L]

anyone able to please help me make th emost efficient sand bed, how deep what to use and how much PLEASE!

 

[Navarre]

Aragonite. I would not use anything else. Not only can it be boughtin varying grades which is ideal for creating a living sand bed but also it helps buffer the system and keep PH stable. Marine sand can be in all shapes and size and of course composition. For example, the marinse sand around here has no buffering capability and although it looks nice it its dead. Ok life will eventually burrow through it but i prefer to have the safety net to stabalise my water perameters.

 

[ANIM4L]

thank you vbery much for your help, i am going now to go get some aragonite sand and some live sand, i will fill my tank up with all i have, till i get to 3 inches, if i dont make three inches, i will fill the rest up with crushed coral (still very close to aragonite, but if i use any it might be like 15 pounds, because im getting lots of aragonite) thanks so much for the help everyone!