Addin Live Sand

zhewitt04 · 01/28/2012, 09:55 AM

I am going to start filling my tank today. Can live sand live in fresh water. I was going to add RO DI water without adding salt until it is full. Would this kill the sand? I guess it doesn't real matter if it does because I am going to add live rock and that would become alive quickly.
Or I could add the water mix the salt fill the tank and then add the sand. I would then let it settle a couple of days before I added more water to get the tank flowing. Let me know what you would do.
Thanks

whitemarlin · 01/28/2012, 11:22 AM

Yes the fresh water will kill the live sand, you would be better off to mix the water and salt then add the sand after.

uncleof6 · 01/28/2012, 12:04 PM

I would say it does not really matter, unless your "live sand" is from an established, healthy system.

Packaged 'live sand" will only contain heterotrophic bacteria, as the autotrophic bacteria, will have died off already, due to lack of oxygen. Why is that significant?

Developing heterotrophic bacterial populations is not what takes the nitrogen cycle so long to become established. It is the autotrophic bacterial population that takes so long to develop. This is because heterotrophic bacteria populations can double in as little as 15 minutes to an hour, whereas the autotrophic population will take 15 - 24 hours. You are not likely to see an Autotrophic bacertial bloom like you would a heterotrophic bloom (caused by elevated dissolved organics--the whitish cloudy water.) It is the Autotrophs that are responsible for the nitrogen cycle (ammonia - nitrate) not the heterotrophs. It is not until you get to denitrification, that faculative or obiligate anaerobic heterotrophs again are needed, "enter the DSB."

So in essence, your cycle is going to take just as long whether you kill off the heterotrophs, or not, or whether you start with dry sand, or packaged live sand--with the heterotrophs still alive.

Most of the products marketed to "kick start" your cycle, including "live sand" contain heterotrophic bacteria, because the autotrophic bacteria will not survive sitting on the shelf in a package, and will not kick start your cycle.

The "good advice": Dry sand, seeded with material from a running healthy, established (1 year old) system.

zhewitt04 · 01/28/2012, 12:35 PM

It was from a established tank. I think it has lost all of its life though. Its been in 5 gallon buckets in my garage at like 40 degrees for a month.

uncleof6 · 01/28/2012, 01:29 PM

I would expect it is done anyway. Just toss it in, maybe even rinse it first, and seed with some fresh if you can get it.

01/28/2012, 09:55 AM	#1
zhewitt04 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Kokomo, IN Posts: 764	Addin Live Sand I am going to start filling my tank today. Can live sand live in fresh water. I was going to add RO DI water without adding salt until it is full. Would this kill the sand? I guess it doesn't real matter if it does because I am going to add live rock and that would become alive quickly. Or I could add the water mix the salt fill the tank and then add the sand. I would then let it settle a couple of days before I added more water to get the tank flowing. Let me know what you would do. Thanks

01/28/2012, 12:04 PM	#3
uncleof6 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: AWOL Posts: 12,013	I would say it does not really matter, unless your "live sand" is from an established, healthy system. Packaged 'live sand" will only contain heterotrophic bacteria, as the autotrophic bacteria, will have died off already, due to lack of oxygen. Why is that significant? Developing heterotrophic bacterial populations is not what takes the nitrogen cycle so long to become established. It is the autotrophic bacterial population that takes so long to develop. This is because heterotrophic bacteria populations can double in as little as 15 minutes to an hour, whereas the autotrophic population will take 15 - 24 hours. You are not likely to see an Autotrophic bacertial bloom like you would a heterotrophic bloom (caused by elevated dissolved organics--the whitish cloudy water.) It is the Autotrophs that are responsible for the nitrogen cycle (ammonia - nitrate) not the heterotrophs. It is not until you get to denitrification, that faculative or obiligate anaerobic heterotrophs again are needed, "enter the DSB." So in essence, your cycle is going to take just as long whether you kill off the heterotrophs, or not, or whether you start with dry sand, or packaged live sand--with the heterotrophs still alive. Most of the products marketed to "kick start" your cycle, including "live sand" contain heterotrophic bacteria, because the autotrophic bacteria will not survive sitting on the shelf in a package, and will not kick start your cycle. The "good advice": Dry sand, seeded with material from a running healthy, established (1 year old) system. __________________ "Things should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." (oft attributed to Einstein; most likely paraphrasing by Roger Sessions; compactly articulates the principle of Occam's Razor) Current Tank Info: 325 6' wide Reef Last edited by uncleof6; 01/28/2012 at 12:16 PM.

01/28/2012, 01:29 PM	#5
uncleof6 Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: AWOL Posts: 12,013	I would expect it is done anyway. Just toss it in, maybe even rinse it first, and seed with some fresh if you can get it. __________________ "Things should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." (oft attributed to Einstein; most likely paraphrasing by Roger Sessions; compactly articulates the principle of Occam's Razor) Current Tank Info: 325 6' wide Reef

01/28/2012, 11:22 AM	#2
whitemarlin Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 96	Yes the fresh water will kill the live sand, you would be better off to mix the water and salt then add the sand after.

01/28/2012, 12:35 PM	#4
zhewitt04 Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Kokomo, IN Posts: 764	It was from a established tank. I think it has lost all of its life though. Its been in 5 gallon buckets in my garage at like 40 degrees for a month.