Substrate Issue

Hello fellow hobbyists, I have recently bought a 24 gal nano cube and started a saltwater tank. When I had bought it I had done research on pretty much everything except the pros & cons between Crushed Coral & Live Sand. When I visited my LFS they recommended the CC instead, and after further research I realized I had made the mistake of making that my substrate. Since I have no fish and my tank is still cycling (with 20 lbs of Live Rock) I figured it would be the perfect time to replace the substrate before I reached the point of no return. My friend had brought me some Live Sand that he claimed "came straight from Florida". We replaced the substrate but the Live Sand that he had brought me was pretty big (somewhat resembling the Crushed Coral I had just switched it with only a bit smaller/finer with occasional clumps of smooth sand). Is this normal? Did I get duped? I want to have invertebrates and burrowing fish & I had read that on rougher substrates they won't be able to live down there. Helllllllp

 

u got played go with this stuff
or even dry sand will work since or in the cycle phase still no need to buy live as it will be live after ur cycle

 

It looks like the Live Sand Aragonite Reef Substrate, The Rougher looking one in the list.

 

well if thats the case u should be good long as its not cc crushed coral

 

Will the 1.0-2.5 grain size hurt the crabs, sifting starfish/gobies or will they be just fine? Having sugar sized sand doesn't make a difference to me as long as the little guys will be ok. Sorry for the newbness - just tired of all the misinformation from LFS

 

Welcome to 3reef,

Yes, it gets a little frustrating when you get confusing information from the LFS.

I agree that changing it out when you did though was the ideal time and a good idea.

That size should not hurt the cuc, stay away from sand sifting star fish though, there is no way the tank is big enough to support one, and the fact that it's new leaves the star fish at an even bigger disadvantage.

Perhaps put up an image so we can take a look.

 

It didn't really matter which substrate you chose when it comes to have it "live" or not. Even crushed coral will become live as all the bacteria and creatures move from the rocks to the substrate. When it comes to getting things that like to borrow, changing the CC to the sand you got was a good choice and the time you did it at was perfect as well. The sand you got should be find for borrowing or bottom dwelling creatures/fish. Good Luck.

 

As you can see there are softer patches of sand & also bigger grains.

 

Hi,

That's pretty chunky and rough. I'd recommend you switch with fine sand since you're wanting fish and inverts that burrow.

 

Hi all. Just to add my 2 cents, a lot of burrowing creatures actually use the larger pieces of rock/rubble to reinforce their hide-outs. I think your choice of substrate will be ok.