Packaged live sand

Sorry if this has already been asked before, but I couldn't find any info about it.

At the LFS they sell a lot of packaged live sand from Carib Sea and such. They say its already seeded with bacteria and all I had to do was dump it in the tank wait for it to clear out and I'm ready to put in inhabitants.

Does that sound right?
A lot of the articles I've read recommend I wait till 30-60 days before stocking.

 

Not right at all. The only way to guarantee "Live" sand is to take some sand from an established tank, keep the sand wet and temperate and immediately put it in your own tank.
Remember, a lot of LFSs will tell you anything just to make a sale. Its very sad but (unfortunately in a lot of cases) true.
You can still buy the "Live sand" if you wish, but all your going to do is pay more than what its worth. I would recommend just getting regular sand and let your tank cycle naturally.
IMO You would have better luck with purchasing a piece (Or several if you wish) of Live Rock and place it in your tank with dry base rock (aka Dead rock). It would do you much better than an overpriced bag of wet sand that's been on the shelf or in storage for lord knows how long.

 

so you're saying that a combo of regular sand and live rock would benefit me more than those live sand bags?

I would still have to go through a cycle of ~3 months wait right?

 

There is live bacteria in those live sand bags. They basically add a little sugar to the saltwater for food. However, if you're adding live rock, it's not necessary.

 

It's all going to depend on how much die-off you have on your live rock. It could very well be a much shorter period. You just have to monitor your Ammonia and Nitrites.

 

Probably wont be 3 months, but it will take some time to get your tank up and going. #1 rule of reef keeping and take it slooooowww. Start up is the worst possible time to rush the tank. Just have to be patient with it...which is not easy I know!

 

are there tricks to this trade you are unaware of?

 

So the packaged live sand stuff is bogus?
Gosh I feel like a sucker.

 

Yeah... I feel like it is... I mean, technically there is bacteria in there... there is bacteria on my hand right now too and god knows what is lurking on my keyboard... but it is not as advertised.

Completely unnecessary.

 

I wouldn't feel that way if I were you. Don't worry about it. In any case if you would like one a have a great big bridge out in San Francisco I would like to sell. Only looking for a few bucks.