Live Sand

[LtSmash]

i want to purchase some live sand from my dealer. thats not my problem =P my tank has been running now for about 3 months but my question is, will adding live sand cause ammonia and nitrite spikes?

[DgenR8]

Originally posted by LtSmash
will adding live sand cause ammonia and nitrite spikes?
No, adding live sand, (my definition of live sand anyway,) will not cause spikes. Attempting to move an entire DSB from one tank to another is a different story entirely.
The "bag O' sand-N-bacteria" often seen on LFS shelves, could also be another story. I don't believe anything stays alive in those bags, and the die off of anything that WAS alive when bagged could cause spikes.
I strongly recommend a small amount of live sand from as many sources as you can get it from. This gets expensive if you are ordering online, but it's "dirt" cheap if you just trade sand with other Reefers.

[LtSmash]

the live sand i was refering to is sand from the tanks at my dealer. at a dollar a pound i'll be adding about 25 pounds on top of my crushed coral

[DgenR8]

Live sand from a tank is much more likely to be really "live" but I see no reason to add 25 lbs from one source. One pound each, from 25 sources would give you infanitely more diversity.
Are you planning a DSB? How much CC are you leaving under your sand?

[RIVERROBSKI]

Is your tank FO or Reef.Any reason you didnt take CC out at first.Not good to put sand ontop of CC.How much sand bed will you have. How big is tank

www.robreneasreef.com

[LtSmash]

29g/1inch course crushed and 1inch finely crushed 25 pounds should add another 2 inches maybe 3 i could remove some of the CC but i dont know if that'll be necessary

[LtSmash]

oh its a fishonly tank with only 18 pounds right now...i want to add the sand before i buy the rest of my rock.