diy sw substrate

[barberking12]

what kinds of sand could i possibly use to make my own live sand for a reef tank i will be setting up this weekend

[barberking12]

could i use beach sand if it was cleaned real good

[mnemenoi]

I've never used it, but Aragonite is not very expensive. That is my usual choice. Its hella cloudy to start off if you but dry and honestly the 'live' sand is only a few bucks more. I would have used it myself, but needed it as a buffer substrate in freshwater.

[barberking12]

is it sand or crushed shell?

[aquabee]

Aragonite comes in both sand form and larger crushed form.

[eklikewhoa]

Just FYI, any sand will become "live" once beneficial bacteria colonizes but for a sw tank I would use some sort of buffering substrate.

I buy the substrate with water in it cause it sinks once poured into the tank and it's not as dusty.

disclaimer before someones starts crying cause they are a failure: this is what worked for me as I find it hard to believe a bag of water with just substrate that sits for who knows how long in who knows what varying temp is "live".

[barberking12]

i kno i can make any sand live thats why i was wondering if i can use beach sand i hate spending money on substrate thats why i use pool filter sand in all my tanks

[TiAg]

I have a tank with beach sand in it and it doesn't look good. I regret it. It's freshwater though, not salt. The amount of cash you're going to spend on a salt tank it makes sense to spend more on the basics and set it up right from the start. It's a lot harder to change out the sand later. Lights, power heads etc are easy to upgrade later.

[barberking12]

im going to try anyways hopefully it works out the tank is going to be stacked full of live rock anyways so sand wont really be seen

[Hangman]

You can use any sand or substrate, it just comes down to personal preference and taste. But agronite does have buffering qualities to it. I am in favor of black sand or red sand. Might be a personal thing since it reminds me of my trips to red sand beaches and black sand beaches in Hawaii. On of my favorite beaches though is the green sand beaches in Hawaii, but have not been able to find green sand in the stores..