questions on marine setup

[dinosor]

hi,
is there a difference between a bag of reef sand and coral sand?
i saw a picture of the reef sand, a nice packing .. but is there a difference to those normal kind of coral sand?

any brand of reef sand that is more clean? like when u bought it , can straight away put into the tank without having to clean much..
like the brand lapis sand, it is quite clean..

[KaLiB]

Originally Posted by dinosor

hi,
is there a difference between a bag of reef sand and coral sand?
i saw a picture of the reef sand, a nice packing .. but is there a difference to those normal kind of coral sand?

Are you referring to aragonite sand when you talk about reef sand?http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewIt...0790&ast=&key=

If its the same product, it is different from coral sand in the sense reef sand is live sand and coral sand is dead sand. Of course, there's also a huge difference in price with coral sand being significantly cheaper.

Reef sand, it is supposed to contain bb whereas coral sand has nothing in it. To use it or not, its up to the individual hobbyist. Some do and some don't. If i'm not wrong, bro nim75sg uses it but for me, i stick to coral sand and let it get populated with bb over time.

any brand of reef sand that is more clean? like when u bought it , can straight away put into the tank without having to clean much..
like the brand lapis sand, it is quite clean..

As far as i know, all coral sand has to be cleaned before use. Assuming that the reef sand your talking about is the same as the 1 in the link, there is absolutely no need to wash it. Just open the bag and pour it into the tank, however the cost of reef sand is significantly higher than that of coral sand.

[dinosor]

so the dead coral will have bb after sometime also right?

so how many kg should i need for a 2feet?

so once i put in, is it that i must not disturb the sandbed anymore ? even after 1 or 2 years.. same method as planted tank?
but then i heard that, there will be no aeration in the sandbed and the bb will not grow in it. so normally people put a heater at the bottom .. hot air goes up cold air come down...

[KaLiB]

so the dead coral will have bb after sometime also right?

Yes.

so how many kg should i need for a 2feet?

Depending on whether you intend to do a Plenum/DSB. For a normal sandbed for aesthetic purposes(around 2"), you should need around 15kg of grade1 coral sand. Unless the tank glass is at least 6mm, i would advise against using too much sand just in case the glass cannot take the pressure from all the sand.

so once i put in, is it that i must not disturb the sandbed anymore ? even after 1 or 2 years.. same method as planted tank?

Best is not to stir the sandbed unless you have no choice.

but then i heard that, there will be no aeration in the sandbed and the bb will not grow in it. so normally people put a heater at the bottom .. hot air goes up cold air come down...

Not necessary to put a heater at the bottom.

Do not worry about aeration, in the lower zones(provided the sandbed is dense and thick enough) there will be little/no oxygen(anaerobic zones). In these anaerobic zones, dentrifying bacteria would form over time(could be 3-5months) and perform dentrification(converts nitrates to nitrogen) for you.

In the upper regions, there would be aeration and nitrifying bacteria would form to carry out nitrification. Therefore, no matter what bb will form in the sandbed.

[dinosor]

what is Plenum/DSB ??

Originally Posted by dinosor

what is Plenum/DSB ??

Here: http://www.rshimek.com/reef/sediment.htm

[dinosor]

thanks..
anyone visited the marine shop along tanjong katong rd. there?
just pass by while i was in the bus..

bro dinosor! u also migrate to marine world liao ah!? hehehe

[dinosor]

Originally Posted by bluezing

bro dinosor! u also migrate to marine world liao ah!? hehehe

oh yes. in the planning stages.. hehe.. still building up vitamin M ..


1 more question,
like those live rock when u stack them right. how to ensure that it will not fall after sometime? do u all place anything in between it?

the rocks have many uneven surfaces where u can use to interlock each other.

some fish such as wrasses, triggers and gobies love to burrow thru sand to look for food. To prevent rockscape collapsing, place a large piece of eggcrate below the LR and then cover with sand.