seeding live sand bed

[new reefer in michigan]

Hi everyone. I have a 120 with about 5 inches of sand. I would like to seed it with some worms, pods ect. Can anyone recommend a good place to get some live sand with lots of stuff in it. Do I need alot for a 120 gallon tank? Also, I have two horseshoe crabs in this tank. I read somewhere that they will destroy the life in a sandbed, is this true? Should I think about removing them from the tank. I was told that they were good for helping to keep the sand bed clean, but if they eat all the critters then maybe they should go. Thanks in advance.

 

[MontanaRocknReefer]

First of all return the horseshoe crabs before you get your infauna(critters)kit or you will not have an established sand bed.
The best two places that I know of is:
http://www.ipsf.com and http://inlandaquatics.com Johnny

[ December 08, 2001: Message edited by: MontanaRocknReefer ]</p>

 

[Rich-n-poor]

white sand sifting stars are supposed to destroy the sandbed life also but.......My tank has has plenty of life pods, ministars, bristle worms, keyhole limpets, speghetti worms ect. And I have a white sand sifter in my 37 gallon tank.

all I did was lay down a bed of agramax and get a couple of lbs of live sand from two different reefs. Just seed your bed and wait.

_________________
Mercedes Viano

 

[HARRISON]

Most of what you will need will come in your live rock. If you want to speed things up you can go to a LFS and ask for some live sand out of on of their tanks. Some sell it and some will just give you a little. If that doesn't pan out look for local reefers, most people will hook you up with some.

Good luck

 

[Scott D Passe]

New reefer in michigan

You need just a few pounds of live sand(s) as a seed culture(s). The sand bed should be seeded with as many different sources of live sand as is practical for you. I used live sand starter kits and detrivore kits from Indo Pacific Sea Farms, Island Aquatics, and two local sources. Bio-diversity is a good thing. Then you begin feeding the bed and the fauna community that it contains grows into a complete ecosystem that is uniquely suited to you particular tank environment. I feed my sand bed with “Golden Pearls”

But make it as deep as you can, I attribute much of my systems low nitrate (<0.2ppm) to my 6” DSB

Burrowing Sand Stars are a bad Idea, a single specimen can devastate the sand bed fauna in even a large system.

Here is an article by Dr. Ron on this subject:

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

Here are some contacts for detrivore kits and “food” for the DSB.

IndoPacific Sea Farms: http://ipsf.com/

Island Aquatics: http://www.inlandaquatics.com/

Brine shrimp Direct (Golden Pearls) : http://www.brineshrimpdirect.com/

Regards,

Scott

 

[Anonymous]

My guess with the "white sand stars" is that there are probably more than one species that probably eats more than 1 thing. Common names are pretty poor things to judge something by. They don't really describe much. That being said, I wouldn't put one in my sand bed. I disagree with the statement that the LR provides the sand critters. There are some critters that inhabit both areas, but there are many more that don't.

Get rid of the horseshoe crabs or they will die in short order. They feed on tiny crustaceans and mollusks. Unless your tank is several thousand gallons you won't be able to keep them alive for long. Not to mention the fact that they aren't found on reefs, but open sand areas and they get over a foot long. Please research the animals you buy before you buy them. It will save many lives and much heartache. HTH

 

[danmhippo]

I believe I read in Baench Marine Atlas that Linckia's also feed on pods and microbes. I am basically avoiding most of the starfishes in my tank.

Horseshoe crab is a BAD idea for the sandbeds.

 

[MaryHM]

I think the "bad" sand star is Astropecten sp. That's off the top of my head, but it sounds right. They're usually 3"-5" across and their body is white and gray mottled just like sand.