Any downside to mixing substrate?

[Reefer420]

I was thinking about my future upgrade and how much it would cost me for new live sand....

Then remembered that I have a bag of AragAlive that I got before I knew too much about reefing...

Right now I use pretty coarse substrate from the seafloor in FL - I love the look of it, but would there really be any downside to mixing the two (The aragalive is pretty fine)?

on that note- the sandbed in my 16g is about 1.5" thick (16lbs) - could I just use it in my new tank or will I have to worry about ammonia, etc. like a DSB would? I have sooo much life in that sand I'd hate to just throw it out!

 

[Tonyscoots84]

how long have u had that sand in there.........

 

[Reefer420]

almost a year.

 

[Tonyscoots84]

i dont think its wise to use the sand underneath... this is only my opinion you can take the top layer of the sand and use it to see ur new sand.. thats what i would do....

 

[HAVIC]

Adding that sand will be fine. You actually want a range of sand grain sizes in your sand bed. I've had a DSB for 5 years, it was almost all Southdown sand. Recently I removed about %60 of the sand and replaced with 2 different types of sand with varied grain sizes and have had no problems.
I know you are not running a DSB but you might want to replace a small portion of the sand you do have in the tank with what you have in the bag.

 

[bad coffee]

The substrate is your choice. Smaller grains provide more surface area for the bacteria to colonize on. But there's nothing wrong with using a larger size if you want. ( as long as you're not creating a detrius trap-have lots of sand bed stirrers will help)

If you're getting uncured live rock, I'd use the sand. I've switched sand from my 7 to my 10 to my 20 without ill effects. I've gone through small cycles when the tank is brand new, but nothing major.

B

 

[Reefer420]

thanks- yeah I'll be upgrading to a larger tank so I will need to get new rock and sand as well... will have to 'cure' the tank (though any rock I get I will either get direct from MR'ers or shipped in water - when I got my shipment in water I had no dieoff and little if no 'cycle'.

btw- what does everyone do when they move tanks? i won't be able to have a holding tank- I will be moving from one tank to another (with no time in between - one lease is up, another starts...)

do you just find people to hold corals for you, or put everythign in and hope for the best??? I will not have enough room for a holding tank while my rocks cycle...

 

[Dave ESPI]

I've been a long time proponent of mixed sized sandbeds for the better part of 5+ years. It aids in reducing cementation, and overall stability of teh rockwork, and survivability of the little sand dwellers that we rarely see IME.

THen again, I also use Plennumns, so I guess I'm a "fuddy duddy" and have just figured out what works with oldschool and new lines of thinking also.

TL : DR ; Add the sand