Mixing Sand with Live Sand

My goal is to have a very fine white sand for bottom dwellers in my new 210g tank and about a 4-6 inch sand bed. My thoughts were to put in about 40-60lb's of the ocean nature live sand and then put fine white sand on top of the live sand for the cleaner more fine sand look. Not sure if this matters but it's planned to be a fish/rock tank with no coral.

Thoughts?

 

No need for live sand with live rock the rock will help populate the sand.

 

I planned to use dry rock from BRS.

 

live sand is over rated, unless its fresh from somewhere live sand. The sand you buy in a bag is pre-packaged been sitting. The bacertia doesnt receive fresh SW, or nutrients. Really youre buying more or less 'once live' sand, the amount of is live when you buy it isnt that great. You would get far better mileage purchasing live rock that comes from somewhere where it was in a tank getting circulated water, etc etc.

I would say live sand is about on the same level as a product called 'purple up'. Sure they both work but there is just better ways to go about things.

Plus in a 210, live sand is going to run a pretty penny.

There is of course always the option of just buying dry rock & sand, cycling, and letting nature take its course.

 

I would just buy dry sand and buy about 20 pounds of live rock to seed all your dry sand and dry rock with. That you will introduce things like pods, coraline algae, and maybe come cool hitchhikers as well.

 

Amen !!!

 

also if you plan to have two layers of sand forget it, between flow and just countless disturbances by your CUC and other fish and inverts that sandbed will be very mixed up in no time.

 

No offense, really, but I have to disagree, I have fine sand and added "live sand" (yes I got duped too) and I thought it would mix with time as well, and 8 months later it still has the same defined line as the day I started. Personally, I can't stand seeing the split sand beds, and this is why I wouldn't recommend using 2 types. It will eat you alive later, but I have so much living in the surface that I won't dare disturb it now. I hope this helps your decision.

 

Even it gets mixed up, it will probably still look good. I used play sand on the bottom layer and put live sand on top of that. It is mixed up, but looks good to me.

 

Well, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that live sand or rock is a waste for a fish/rock tank, as you'll most likely end up with something that's going to eradicate the life forms that make the sand/rock live, unless you plan on only keeping reef-safe fish. Your beneficial bacteria will populate the dry sand and rock when you cycle your tank.