Substrate

[56jman]

Would play sand work? How would I rinse it? If I got live sand would it seed dry rock or would I need a bacteria addative?

 

[theoilartist]

I've never understood how sand can be termed "live" if it comes dry in a sealed bag. What is still alive? So I'll be interested to see what the comments are to your questions, jman. I got all my substrate from the ocean with lots of living organisms in it, unfortunately I'm not qualified to help you.

 

[56jman]

My understanding "live sand" is just artifical or real sand just cleaned then healthy bacteria that was "farm raised" snd injected into wet sand in a bag then sealed.

 

[Reefernator]

Play Sand is generally advised against in the industry. It's a silicate sand, which 1) does nothing to buffer the calcium in your tank, meaning you'll be spending money on supplements. 2) Silica-based sand is much more conducive to diatom blooms and algae growth, so you'll be cleaning the tank more often. Finally, many of these sands are know to release phosphates. You'll be fighting a constant battle against high nitrate and phosphate levels.

The only advantage to silica sand over aragonite is the cost. But in the long-run, play sand will cost you more.