live sand question

Bugsy · #1 01-30-2009, 07:35 PM

Anyone here use the ocean direct caribbean live sand that petsmart has??

Would like to know your thoughts about it.

Madreefer · #2 01-30-2009, 08:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bugsy

Anyone here use the ocean direct caribbean live sand that petsmart has??

Would like to know your thoughts about it.

What is live sand? Sounds like a scam to me whenever I hear of a store selling it. Can't be to "live" if it's just sitting in a bag or bucket for any length of time.

Bugsy · #3 01-30-2009, 08:31 PM

It is wet in a bag and petsmart sells it.

I have heard though it leaves a nasty milky look to the water and also a nasty foam too. Probably best to stay clear of it and just go and get more dry sand to add to what I have already.

Bugsy · #4 01-30-2009, 08:31 PM

J&L sells it too

rocketlily · #5 01-31-2009, 01:51 PM

I put it in my 90 gal tank. Bought it because I liked the size of the grains of sand. I knew that it couldn't really be alive as it sat in a bag in my house for 2 months and who knows how long in the store. I didn't rinse it, just in case it was "live" and what a mistake. Took days to clear the tank and now everytime I disturbe the sand I have another cloud.

If I had to do over, I would still buy it because I like the size of the grains of sand and all the other bits, but I would definately rinse it and not worry about the "live" aspect of it.

awa1979 · #6 01-31-2009, 11:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bugsy

It is wet in a bag and petsmart sells it.

I have heard though it leaves a nasty milky look to the water and also a nasty foam too. Probably best to stay clear of it and just go and get more dry sand to add to what I have already.

I used it. As long as you put it in a empty tank and let the skimmer run for a couple days it clears up well.

It does cloud the water, and it does leave a foam but it all went away within a couple days.

I don't have issue with clouding when its disturbed.

I only bought it for convenience at the time, but I would just save money and use non-live sand.

Bugsy · #7 02-01-2009, 04:06 AM

I don't use a skimmer as the tank is a 3 gal. I am thinking about moving everything from it to a 5 gal so I would be putting in this new sand and the old sand from the 3 gal. If I am going to have issues with it then I might not do this change. I run an aqua clear mini on the tank.

Marlin65 · #8 02-01-2009, 04:19 AM

Just buy dry sand rinse well and seed the tank with a cup of sand out of some one else's tank that has been running for a while. Or you can seed your sand with your live rock. The wet so called live sand is just wet sand.

rocketlily · #9 02-01-2009, 04:27 AM

Only buy it if you really like the texture. Live sand taken out of the water and put in a plastic bag, shipped, stored in a warehouse then a store equals dead sand. When you add the sand from your 3 gal, it will then become live sand.

chevyjaxon · #10 02-01-2009, 08:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rocketlily

Only buy it if you really like the texture. Live sand taken out of the water and put in a plastic bag, shipped, stored in a warehouse then a store equals dead sand. When you add the sand from your 3 gal, it will then become live sand.

+1 i bought the same stuff a year ago found it to be a real pricey cloud in my tank no clouding issues now though