Need Some Schooling!
- Thread starter g_morin
- Start date
My wife definately put the AX on the 150 in the house... so I am swapping for a 75 gallon which doesnt really upset me all that much because I dont need a HUGE tank anymore. Also startup will be less expensive for sand and such so that makes me happy. I should be putting everything together this weekend with any luck... will update with pics as I go.
starting to attain all the "stuff" for the tank and came across black tahitian moon sand...I have read some reviews I figured since there wasnt much talk about it I would throw it out there for discussion since I am not doing live sand but am doing live rock I dont see the issues???
starting to attain all the "stuff" for the tank and came across black tahitian moon sand...I have read some reviews I figured since there wasnt much talk about it I would throw it out there for discussion since I am not doing live sand but am doing live rock I dont see the issues???
Should not be an issue, that sand is aragonite I think. Any sand you put in there will be "live" over time. Once it starts to hold bio its live etc.
I like that black sand look, but the wife wanted white - ugh! No worries about the live sand vs sterile sand. Anerobic bacteria (nitrates) needs Aerobic bacteria (ammonia, nitrites) to survive and aerobic bacteria needs an oxygen enviorment. Sealed plastic bags sitting on a self in a warehouse can't produce or store oxygen for very long probably not even 12 hrs. At best the die off produces ammonia in a bag. Exceptions being buying direct from a tropical distributor who ships overnite with heat + 02 packs in with it or you collect it tropically yourself - the problem with the exceptions is Protozoa.
At least with live sand everythings dead. With sterile sand your silicates will be higher causing diatom blooms but rinse the crap out of it and this will cut down it's lifespam.
At least with live sand everythings dead. With sterile sand your silicates will be higher causing diatom blooms but rinse the crap out of it and this will cut down it's lifespam.
I wouldn't use the Tahitian moon sand (at least the CaribSea stuff) because it doesn't have an effect on the pH whereas the aragonite sand does have an effect on it and helps to keep the pH stable at the proper level. If you go with the moon sand, then you're most likely looking at having to add a buffer to fix the pH.
Ya, it's fine as long as you use a buffer and monitor the pH. You'll have to buffer the water with water changes as well whereas the aragonite would do the buffering for you for water changes.
