Do I seed it?

[toyota44]

I have a 55g reef that has been established for aprox. 3yrs. Currently I have about 50 lbs. of live rock and +/- 3in. of carib-sea aragonite sand. My question is, because it isn't "real" live sand there aren't any critters hangin' around stiring it and such....should I seed it? If so, how should I do it? I've read so much about re-creating the reef eco-system and I can't help but feel like i'm missing something important My live rock isn't "crawlling" with stuff anymore because I lost alot of life the first year I was a newbie, what should I do?


TIA

 

[Palmetto]

You could stand to have some more rock in a tank that size- I would add some partially cured, high-quality rock and a bit of Live Fiji sand. The amount of life I have seen from good sand being added to a sandbed is significant. I add live Fiji sand to my dead stuff, and soon there are little worms and pods and stuff to be seen throughout.

Some relatively "fresh" liverock will also stimulate your critter population. I am not saying add "rank" rock to an established tank, as the ammonia spike would be too intense. However, I would add a small amount (~15 lbs. or so) of some rock that has not been out of the ocean for very long- yet has had some time for the initial dieoff to occur.

Just my opinion....