Any Suggestions about Live Sand?

[Sean]

I got a 28g HQI Nano,

Any suggestions on what type of live sand would be good.. I have had my tank up for 6 months and I see there are many types of sand out there.. Do I even need sand for a nano cube? I'm having difficulty keeping things and I'm looking at filteration

[Myka]

It's all the same really if it comes out of a bag. Honestly, I don't think it's all that "live". The bacteria in there isn't as effective as the companies' advertising would like to make you think. Personally, I think the biggest advantage of "live" bagged sand is the fact that it's pre-rinsed and is much less dusty, which makes your tank clear up faster, or if you're replacing a sandbed it doesn't cloudy your tank as much.

Real live sand would be the stuff you'd get from a tank that's been running for a year or more.

I prefer CaribSea Special Grade sand. It's a nice particle size for most tanks. No tanks need sand. That's your choice. Personally, I don't like the looks of a tank without sand. Your tank lacking sand (from what I understand of your post) is likely NOT the culprit in you losing corals. You would have to look at your water quality and maintenance shedule to see what the cause is. You're much likelier to find your answer if you ask a question like, "Why am I losing corals?".

[martinmcnally]

Someone in calgary should be able to spare a cup of sand from an established tank to get you going, add that to any of the prepacked live sand or crushed coral and you should be off to a good start. I have also heard that live rock rubble from the LFS is good for getting the sand bed going.

Martin

[Myka]

You don't need live sand if you're using live rock, but it doesn't hurt.