Sand and bacterium

I recently purchased a 90 gallon tank from craigslist. I have a protein skimmer and sump setup already established but i had to clean the tank and the sump and reset it up. There are no fish but i had a few questions on substrate and starting my tank. I wanted to know the cheapest, while still visually appealing, argonite sand and where to get it. I also wanted to know about creating live sand and if i did so using live rock how much live rock would i need to start? I am patient and i can wait for the bacteria, but i was just wondering what suggestions you may offer. Also is there a supplement to speed up the new tank cycling?

 

I don't think your gonna find super cheap sand because it cost money ship it But you don't need live sand if you have live rock it will make the sand alive eventually.

food for thought with live sand how much stuff is really still alive in unheated air tight bag after a few months.

what do you want your tank to be fish only or reef? most would recommend you 90 gallons of rock(note not all if it has to be alive, it will become alive with time).

 

Petsmart has Caribsea dry aragonite for $20 for a 30lb bag.

 

this is what I used as a base to start my 90 last year. It gives a great base to build up on if you want to add a few pieces of premium live rock along the top or leave a little less rock in the DT and still have tons of surface area for the bacteria.

40 Pound box Key Largo Rock, <br>40 Pounds Bahamas Aragonite Sand<BR>pay shipping on rock only<br>(*All sand ships USPS priority mail*) - KL40-40

Or for Free Shipping and double the rock, and triple the sand...
(you will have extra of both but that can be a lifesaver sometimes)

http://www.marcorocks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=83