Natures ocean live sand
- Thread starter Guss
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Dburr1014
10K Club member
Better off getting a piece of live rock and dead sand.Was wondering if advice regarding this live sand ,(natures ocean) and if I can’t get my hand on dr Tim’s or brightwell one and only to cycle would this be enough ?
But, live or dead sand, rinse it well with tap water, final in rodi or salt.
ZachariahBeanz
Active Member
Yes, do not rinse live sand. It takes away the bacteria, and that’s what you’re paying for in live sand
after being part of six million threads on this topic this is my distillation:
take a handful of that sand and drop it into a clear glass of water on the counter, look at what the water becomes
if you want that for your display, add it unrinsed.
regarding bacteria sourcing: if sandbed bacteria are needed, required, how do bare bottom tanks live
taricha has tested that sand and found it live, however that's not the only way bac are getting into your tank. if you add that sand, rinsed with tap to clearity then a final rinse in sw, plus one pinch of fish food, in 15 days wait any rocks set into that water will be cycled.
a tap water rinse isn't some powerful antibacterial action, or they'd sell it bottled as an antibacterial cleaner. because you can drink tap water, it's not all that powerful of an antibiotic for the brief rinses we do. its a suppressant, our rinses are too brief to make much matter in antibiotic actions.
if you rinse the sand and install it clean, no cloud, you can't test for any parameter that changes in the reef (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)
and if you don't rinse, and add the mud/wait for it to clear: no parameter you can measure changes (A< N< N)
so that means if you opt for the cloud, you get zero benefit. and if you opt for the rinse, you get to keep your tank's good looks.
take a handful of that sand and drop it into a clear glass of water on the counter, look at what the water becomes
if you want that for your display, add it unrinsed.
regarding bacteria sourcing: if sandbed bacteria are needed, required, how do bare bottom tanks live
taricha has tested that sand and found it live, however that's not the only way bac are getting into your tank. if you add that sand, rinsed with tap to clearity then a final rinse in sw, plus one pinch of fish food, in 15 days wait any rocks set into that water will be cycled.
a tap water rinse isn't some powerful antibacterial action, or they'd sell it bottled as an antibacterial cleaner. because you can drink tap water, it's not all that powerful of an antibiotic for the brief rinses we do. its a suppressant, our rinses are too brief to make much matter in antibiotic actions.
if you rinse the sand and install it clean, no cloud, you can't test for any parameter that changes in the reef (ammonia, nitrite, nitrate)
and if you don't rinse, and add the mud/wait for it to clear: no parameter you can measure changes (A< N< N)
so that means if you opt for the cloud, you get zero benefit. and if you opt for the rinse, you get to keep your tank's good looks.
Dburr1014
10K Club member
I completly disagree. It will not kill all of it.
Imagine being bagged up, warehoused in a non-temp controlled warehouse in the south, loaded on a hot truck, delivered to your LFS (but probably sitting in another warehouse first), sitting at your LFS for weeks to months.
How much is really live anyway? Hard to say.
