20 gallon tank

going to set up a 20 gallon saltwater tank,would it cycle faster if i just use freshwater gravel,and live rock.thanks,or can you buy live sand already cycled

 

You can buy live sand, but its still going to cycle..just faster usually. I wouldnt use gravel IMO

 

It wouldn't cycle any faster if you use freshwater gravel. Aragonite sand is used in marine tanks for a few reasons, firstly it is very inert which means that it won't leach any bad chemicals or react in the water. It is made up of calcium carbonate which helps buffer your water and has a large surface area which is excellent for large numbers of bacteria.

Freshwater gravel can have alsorts of metal contaminates which won't cause problems in a freshwater tank with mostly fish but with sensitive inverts in a marine tank it can cause problems. Plus your never 100% sure what rock the individual pieces of gravel have come from and what chemicals they might leach.

 

yea dont use gravel. just take the time to let your tank cycle properly. youll lose more fish and coral if you dont.

 

Live sand is better when initially setting up your tank as it contains bacteria strains (usually in a dormant state or there will be the spores there) which are beneficial to an uncycled tank.

 

one point of advice i will give you, go as big as you can afford, its MUCH MUCH easyier to maintain a bigger saltwater tank then a smaller

 

I agree bigger is better if you can afford it, plus sand looks much more natural for a tropical reef environment.

 

ok thanks guys