No such thing as a cheap DSB, unless you are lucky
 

Not sure if this is in the right forum, but didn't seem like a Reef one

Well, the title says it all. Cheap DSB's are only for those lucky Southdown dudes. I have a bunch of beautiful live rock on a bare tank floor, and I'm just curious what you guys used. I have moved from fishonly to soon-to-be reef, and I am just wondering cause this will be a "one time" purchase and I don't want to screw up.

I really like the olitic sugar sand, I like the look of it, but should I add some bigger diameter substate? Sugar sand 30lbs for 39$ at JL. Super reef sand is 55$ for 40lbs. What should the ratio for the sand bed be? Meaning sugar sand to reef sand? On reef central the sandbed calculator says 225 lbs for a 4 inch bed of sand for my 120 gallon tank. 60' long 18' wide. Thanks guys, I'm just unsure, I want some direction.

Any tips, cons, or pros to these substrates?

No such thing as a cheap DSB, unless you are lucky
 

Hi,

Umm...well, it is really up to your pocket book. The best and most recommended way is to use the Caribsea stuff (oolic sand). The second is Southdown and a third is sandblasting sand (mesh 100 to 200). There is also dolomite...but that's for thrill seekers -- there's a big thread on that stuff about a month ago.

Personally, if I was to do my DSB again, I would try to figure out a way to use crush oyster shells and crush it in to sand. That would yield a fairly safe media with the right grain size at a reasonable price.

Hope that helps.

- Victor.

No such thing as a cheap DSB, unless you are lucky
 

Hello Jack,

Just exactly how many lbs of sand do you want?

No such thing as a cheap DSB, unless you are lucky
 

Hey Titus, well, I want 225lbs of sand.

No such thing as a cheap DSB, unless you are lucky
 

Hello,

That's less than 5 bags of 50lbs sand. Did you talk to JL or somebody about getting it cheaper?