Sand

[silverant]

If sand dose not come from a reef but it still comes from the oceian dose it matter, someone told me that it is not consitered live sand unless it came from a reef.

[Woodstock]

It will become "live" with time

[Cougra]

Originally Posted by silverant

If sand dose not come from a reef but it still comes from the oceian dose it matter, someone told me that it is not consitered live sand unless it came from a reef.

Yes it's live sand as it has a bacterial culture, however it may not have as much diversity as something from the reef where the nutrients are a little higher. (depending on where the sand was collected from) If you got if rom around a jetty or sunken ship where there are a lot of fish then it'll have more diversity then if you got it from a large barren sandy area where there are little to no fish on a regular basis.

What you might not get is some of the microfauna that you would find in live sand on the reef such as worms, micro starsfish, shrimp, 'pods etc.

[silverant]

My aquarium has been set up for about a year now it is half CC and half sand. Im having trouble with my nitrates and I know the CC is not helping so im going to a DSB the sand that I am going to use is coming from Fla. but not directly from a reef will it not have the bacteria and critters in it needed for denitrafication.

[Woodstock]

Dry sand will grow the necessary aenerobic bacteria needed for NNR (natural nitrate reduction) just as live sand will. My 3" sand bed was 'dry sand' and it is now it is a successful NNR for my reef. You do not HAVE to use reef or live sand.