Sand?

Another stupid question :c

What kind of sand do you guys use in your tanks?

I'm planning to do a FOWLR tank, but I'm not sure about what type of sand to use?

Live sand or normal sand?

 

I would suggest fresh argonite sand with a little live sand mixed in to seed. The problem with live sand is you do not know you what you are getting unless it is from a trusted source.

I used all live sand on my newest tank, and so far it has been a pain compared when I used fresh argonite sand seeded with live sand.

 

Totally agree!

 

Im a newby too but the owner of my lfs recomended live sand. I like it and it seems to do great in my tank

 

One more question, I was told that a protein skimmer and live rock will be enough to filter and clean my tank once i set it up. Would it be a good idea to set up a

Penguin Bio-Filter aswell, just to have an extra cleaning device?

 

anyone?

 

I'm glad it worked well for you. IMO, it is a gamble with the live sand. If you start clean and give it time and a little seed, you will have all the life and biodiversity of "established" live sand with a lot less chance of putting in crud.

I wouldn't if you have 1 - 2 lbs of LR per gallon. It will provide the bio-filtration you need. Most filters can become detritus traps and increase your nitrate. If you are looking to put something in to pull floating debris out the water, you can use a filter sock on the return hose to your sump and protein skimmer and clean it once a week or so. Add in some chemi-pure elite for polishing, and you are good to go

 

I'm not putting in a sump though

 

Im not putting in a sump though

 

Even in that case, I wouldn't worry about the bio-wheel. I assume you are using an HOB/in tank skimmer then, which should pull the detritus out of the water. Just ensure you have good circulation with no stagnant/no flow areas and blow off the rocks when you do WC.