Choosing sand

So I do not want to use livesand in my tank but am not sure which to choose. THis is going to be a FWLRO setup for a little while and then I plan on eventually adding corals. How deep should I make my sand bed and what dry sand would you reccomend. I will have some gobies and smaller guys that will be digging around some.

 

How deep your sandbed is depends on whether you want the benefits of a deep sandbed. A deep sandbed is generally around 4 inches.

If you plan on getting Gobies like the Sand Sifting, I would recommend a deep sandbed, since that is where most of its food comes from. I believe deep sandbeds also provide a place for beneficial bacteria to thrive. If you do plan on getting a Sand Sifting Goby, let your tank establish first, and maybe add a little bit of live sand just to "seed your system"

You can normally use any kind of sand that you see at your pet shop. I have heard of some people using pool filter sand too from hardware stores. Some people don't use sand at all because of the cons associated with it.

I hope this was helpful!

 

I wasnt sure if I should do a deep sandbed or not since I do not know much about them or how to maintain them and keep a healthy system but 3-4inches soudns reasonable. Does anybody have opinions on what sands would be best for this?

 

I wouldn't do a DSB if it were me! It can cause a crash if ever disturbed! Bad bacteria can grow deep in the bed and when disturbed release into your tank and reek havoc! I'd do about an inch deep of dry aragonite!

 

is an inch enough for gobies? I thought the whole DSB crashing your system was a myth.

 

I agree with a deep sand bed, there is no maitenance with a deep sand beed. What it will do is suck up the decaying matter... and the live sand meaning bacteria in the sand will release it in small pockets so not to pollute the tank. The sand at the bottom of the DSB traps the water long enough for anaerobic bacteria to form and begin digesting the nitrates.

 

just be sure not to like try and turn it let your clean up crew do the sifting.

 

If you are going dry sand, make sure it is aragonite based sand, not silicate based sand. Silicate based sand can cause tons of headaches, a quick search will should convince you .

 

I strongly reccomend you opt for the life sand as when the nitrogen cycle takes place. If there is no beneficial bacteria your sand will become toxic!

 

You can do dry sand and just seed it with a cup of live sand from a friend/LFS and it will become alive over time. Same thing goes for rock. And you'll save a ton of cash going the dry route. I've used live sand, but I'm still not convinced all that much life can survive in a bag for who knows how long on a shelf at the LFS.