Switching Sand on 7 Month Old Tank. Live or Dry?

Reefer37 · May 18, 2020

Well I originally got CaribSea Hawaiian black live sand for my tank when I started 7 months back. Between parts of the sand sticking to my magnetic cleaners and scratching my glass and the creeping suspicion it is leeching metals into my tank, I want to change out the sand completely.

It's about 4 inches deep all around and 45g cube.

Would you recommend live or dry sand?
Will I have an issue with re-cycling the tank or anything like that?

Ron Reefman · May 19, 2020

Either new sand will work.

If you like the black sand, there is an synthetic black sand that has no issues with metal. I'm using it in my Rock Flower Anemone breeding tank and it's been working fine. It NEVER sticks to any magnet (I even tried a good magnet on the sand in the bag at the store!).

If you have enough good live rock in the tank, you shouldn't have any issues with a cycle, or at worst, a very mini cycle.

Amado · May 19, 2020

I got live sand amazon sells it at the same cost as regular sand.

Carib Sea Ocean Direct Substrates

cvrle1 · May 19, 2020

Forget live sand, there isnt really anything "alive" about it. That sand has been sitting in sealed bags, in warehouses, in trucks, on the shelves in LFS and so on. Save your money and get dry sand.

Amado · May 19, 2020

cvrle1 said:
Forget live sand, there isnt really anything "alive" about it. That sand has been sitting in sealed bags, in warehouses, in trucks, on the shelves in LFS and so on. Save your money and get dry sand.

Yes the bacteria they use is dormant.its not affected by temp or time.It becomes alive when you add salt water.
And it’s also the same price as regular sand.

Reefer37 · May 19, 2020

Think I'm gonna go cheap and mix these two.
From reading looks like the Aragonite is finer and the Coraline is a little bigger size.

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/fish/saltwater-fish-supplies/saltwater-aquarium-sand-substrates/caribsea-aragonite-aquarium-sand

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/caribsea-coraline-aquarium-gravel-20-lbs-2153502

cvrle1 · May 19, 2020

Reefer37 said:
Think I'm gonna go cheap and mix these two.
From reading looks like the Aragonite is finer and the Coraline is a little bigger size.

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/fish/saltwater-fish-supplies/saltwater-aquarium-sand-substrates/caribsea-aragonite-aquarium-sand

https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/caribsea-coraline-aquarium-gravel-20-lbs-2153502

If you plan on having any good amount of water movement inside the tank, keep in mind that fine sand like in the 1st link will most likely get blown around and moved all the time. Instead of mixing these 2, just use Special Grade. It is not as fine as 1st, so it wont be blown around, but it is fine enough for sand dwelling creatures.

Also, no matter what sand you use, wash it out really good. It is full of dirt, silt and so on. Not washing it will create a mess and sand storm in your tank that are pain to get rid of.

20 lb. Special Grade Arag-Alive! Reef Sand

Natural Perfection with CaribSea's Special Grade Reef Sand Contains Live Bacteria to Assist with a Faster Cycle High Surface Area for Bacteria Ready to Use - No Rinsing CaribSea's Special Grade Arag-Alive! Reef Sand offers a natural look and the perfect particle size for maintaining a...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Reefer37 · May 19, 2020

cvrle1 said:
If you plan on having any good amount of water movement inside the tank, keep in mind that fine sand like in the 1st link will most likely get blown around and moved all the time. Instead of mixing these 2, just use Special Grade. It is not as fine as 1st, so it wont be blown around, but it is fine enough for sand dwelling creatures.

Also, no matter what sand you use, wash it out really good. It is full of dirt, silt and so on. Not washing it will create a mess and sand storm in your tank that are pain to get rid of.

20 lb. Special Grade Arag-Alive! Reef Sand

Natural Perfection with CaribSea's Special Grade Reef Sand Contains Live Bacteria to Assist with a Faster Cycle High Surface Area for Bacteria Ready to Use - No Rinsing CaribSea's Special Grade Arag-Alive! Reef Sand offers a natural look and the perfect particle size for maintaining a...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

Yeah I was reading the Aragonite was finer. I was going to only get 10lbs of that and 20lbs of the Coraline, which is bigger grain size.

I'll look into the Special Grade, I know it's a favorite for a lot of people.