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03/02/2009, 11:04 AM
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#1 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 29
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Live Sand
Hello,
I am starting up my first tank and have a question ? LPS is renovating and selling off 200lbs of Carib sea live sand at 75% off. Issue is the bags are labelled as good until April 2009. One bag is already showing brown "stuff" in the corners. I am not ready for the sand yet so the question is can I store this in containers with SW and a bunch of power heads and keep it until I am ready without fear of it all going "bad". Can I simply let it dry out and allow die off and then re cycle externally before putting it into a new tank ? The price is right if I can use the sand but a waste of money if it will be no good ? |
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03/02/2009, 11:09 AM
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#2 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: RI
Posts: 2,373
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You can store it if you like with heater and PH. IMO its not worth it. Just buy some dry sand and seed it with a few cupfulls of LS from LFS or fellow reefers and you will have some nice LS.
Just noticed you wanted to dry it. That can be done also if the price is right. Wash thoroughly before putting in your tank. |
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03/02/2009, 11:54 AM
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#3 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 29
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They are selling at $10 / 20lb bag. Other retailers are at $45 /20lb bag. I was hoping to take advantage of the savings but if it will cause future issues i don't think I will be saving anything ?
If I simply leave it bagged and store it in my cold room will it last for 3 months (ish) |
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03/02/2009, 12:24 PM
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#4 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: montgomery, il
Posts: 844
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well not to sure but if i were you i would buy it and resell it for alittle more then what you got it for. 10 dollers for it is a steal even 20 for one of those bag would be to imo
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03/02/2009, 03:39 PM
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#5 |
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Registered Member
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Peoria, IL
Posts: 36
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I would recommend buying at least one bag of the "live" sand and mixing it with "dead" sand... especially at those prices. The live sand will seed the dead and it will eventually be all live, for alot less money.
__________________
Gallery located at danpenning.com Current Tank Info: 55g mixed reef, T5s, 30g sump, 3g refugium |
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03/02/2009, 04:01 PM
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#6 |
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Bogus Information Expert
 
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 16,147
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Buy it! It makes good base sand and even if the bacteria it contained have expired they would not have been that beneficial in the first place. Purchase what they have and add about 40 lbs of true LS and you will have a DSB in fairly short order.
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"Leading the information hungry reefer down the road to starvation" Tom Current Tank Info: 130 Now out of service and a 29 |
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03/02/2009, 04:06 PM
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#7 |
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R.C. Fraternity President
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Hi Matt,
Unless you're planning on using this sand before April, either by putting it in a tub of heated saltwater with good circulation or in your tank, you’re going to have problems with serious die off. Normally the advice given would be to save your money and get dead sand and place a bag of live sand to help seed it, however the price is good and starting off with that much live sand will give you a robust system of bacteria right off the bat.
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Jimmy MASVC President Dishes are done man! Current Tank Info: 300 in progress |
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03/02/2009, 04:11 PM
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#8 |
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Bogus Information Expert
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: SW Ohio
Posts: 16,147
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I tend to disagree Sister. Those packaged bags of sand only contain a small amount of bacteria culture. Even after it dies off there is little left to contaminate one's tank. It is aragonite sand however and will be easy to repopulate with good quality true LS.
__________________
"Leading the information hungry reefer down the road to starvation" Tom Current Tank Info: 130 Now out of service and a 29 |
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