Caribsea special grade, live or dry?

[Willbiker]

My tank is 9 months old and my sand is way too fine so I want to change to special grade.

Is the sand in this bag..
https://charterhouse-aquatics.com/shop/aquatics/decoration/live-sand/caribsea-arag-alive-special-grade-live-reef-sand-20lb?gclid=CjwKCAiAi_D_BRApEiwASslbJ6U0UlTGS0f2eoQfL0CjbI4SgWvEZGWmnroLLLjuMkSxHgC6

The same product as the sand in this bag?

https://charterhouse-aquatics.com/s...avel/caribsea-seaflor-special-grade-sand-40lb

Is it the same product however one is live and one is dry?

 

[homer1475]

Exactly.

If your adding to or replacing your existing sandbed, I would go with the dry. Make sure you rinse it very well so you don't have a dust cloud in your tank.

The live stuff can cause an ammonia spike. I would only use the live stuff in a brand new cycling tank.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Dry and then rinse well. Should be the same grain size.
Losing the bacteria in your live sand won't cause noticeable issues as the majority will be replenished quickly by the live rock.

 

[Willbiker]

If you have to thoroughly rinse the sand...what's the point in buying it 'live'? Surely you kill everything when rinsing it with tap water and BRS said that all the bacteria is in the water...

 

[OllieGreen]

I believe that is correct. If you're just looking for advice on good sand however, I used one bag of the second link, which is definitely live wet sand, in my 20 gallon nano and I love it.

 

[homer1475]

If you have to thoroughly rinse the sand...what's the point in buying it 'live'? Surely you kill everything when rinsing it with tap water and BRS said that all the bacteria is in the water...

Exactly why I believe live sand to be a gimmick.

Sure you can add it by not rinsing it, but it will always create a dust cloud whenever disturbed.

 

[OllieGreen]

If you have to thoroughly rinse the sand...what's the point in buying it 'live'? Surely you kill everything when rinsing it with tap water and BRS said that all the bacteria is in the water...

I believe he is just saying that it is good sand, and if you but it it wouldn't be for the 'live' aspect. I didn't rinse mine before using however and everything worked fine.

 

[Willbiker]

I could just buy it dry and add some bottled bacteria ..right?

 

[OllieGreen]

Exactly why I believe live sand to be a gimmick.

Sure you can add it by not rinsing it, but it will always create a dust cloud whenever dist

I could just buy it dry and add some bottled bacteria ..right?

theoretically yes

 

[Willbiker]

Great, Thanks everyone! This forum is freaking awesome!

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Yeah I think @homer1475 and I were just saying that the "live" aspect is largely snake oil. I wouldn't even pay the extra for bacteria as you have plenty of it within the live rock in your tank. Just rinse the dry sand well and slowly add it in using a cut 2L soda bottle.

 

[Willbiker]

Whats the rough coverage for 40 lbs of special grade? I'm hoping for about 1 inch depth in my 6 x 2 foot tank. ? 80 lbs do it?

Yeah I think @homer1475 and I were just saying that the "live" aspect is largely snake oil. I wouldn't even pay the extra for bacteria as you have plenty of it within the live rock in your tank. Just rinse the dry sand well and slowly add it in using a cut 2L soda bottle.

Got it...thanks a lot.

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

80lb with put you right on the mark!

Aquarium Sand Bed Calculator - Bulk Reef Supply

Bulk Reef Supply - Saltwater Aquarium Supplies for Reef Tanks

www.marinedepot.com

 

[CrazyCarlitos]

Dry. And rinse it well. Than rinse some more.

I used 40lb for 24x30 and got about 1.25” depth.

 

[Willbiker]

My tank is 9 months old and the sand has been blown about all over the tank in the last week after New wave makers. Ive got dino issues too but only on the sand. Its about an average of 1.5 inch deep. How slowly should I remove it in order not to cause problems? I have 25kg of rock in my tank and the same again in my sump plus some marine pure blocks. Will I cause any biological inbalance buy removing all the sand bed?

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

Ah. This sounds like a rip clean thread

Search for @brandon429 sand rinse threads. Essentially put all livestock into totes with the tanks SW and remove all the sand at once. Doing it in stages will cause a destabilizing event in most cases... Add the new sand in followed by the live stock and old/new water. Reduce lighting for a week. It sounds tough but doing it this way causes a seamless transition that is less like a ditch and more like a speed bump.

 

[Willbiker]

Ive come across Brandon429 a few times in my dino battle. He certainly knows his stuff. Thats not the reason I want to remove the sand, its because of the sand storm.

Catching my fish would be a serious task. I'd prefer to do it without removing my livestock...even if it takes 2 months. How quickly should I remove it? 20% per week with my water change? Thanks

 

[NeonRabbit221B]

I did about a third of my nanos sand and it crashed things when trying to do something similar which is when I decided to follow Brandon’s sand rinse guides for replacement.

I think if you want to replace it use a wide ID hose and directly suck it up about 1/6 of the tank at a time. Watch nutrients and back off on it if they spike. Special grade will do you much better I am sure

 

[verlin827]

Yeah I think @homer1475 and I were just saying that the "live" aspect is largely snake oil. I wouldn't even pay the extra for bacteria as you have plenty of it within the live rock in your tank. Just rinse the dry sand well and slowly add it in using a cut 2L soda bottle.

You aren't supposed to rinse the live sand though... it comes in salt water. If you are adding to a salt water aquarium you add straight in, if it's going into a fresh water tank you drain the water. I haven't had any clouding issues past the first 12-24hrs.