New Southdown Prep?

[toyota44]

So, I was lucky enough to score 6 bags of Southdown sand last weekend :lol: Currently I have a FOWLR tank, and want to know what I should do to prep the sand for a DSB? Do I need to wash it? Seed It? Cycle it? Or can I just throw the sand in, fill the tank, let it settle, and then add the live rock/snails etc....?

TIA
F

 

[craw]

Just put it in. Because its a new tank and you not adding to an existing tank you'll be ok. I just scored 30 bags myself! Your gonna love this stuff. I had it in my 125.

 

[steve F]

How much did you guys pay per bag for the sand??

Steve








Honest honey, I always had that equipment

 

[RGibson]

South Down sand cost me $4.98 at Home Depot in Cary NC RGibson

 

[esmithiii]

Do not wash it. The small particles are quite beneficial. Clouding will subside in a couple of days.

Do a search on adding southdown sand and on cloudy water and you will get some excellent advice on how to add it with minimal clouding.

Ernie

 

[Micky]

Here in Chicago it can be tough to find. I have about 16 bags for my 300 gal. and paid from $10.00 to $15.00 a bag. Some get a bit crazy and want $20.00 a bag...

 

[LA-Lawman]

Hi all,

So i take you can get southdown from the all-might allways-out-of stock home depot.

Are there any known silicate problems???

how much does each bag weight?

 

[Anonymous]

silicate problems? People run silica sand without silica problems!

Not to mention, southdown is aragonite based

 

[toyota44]

Yes, I paid about $4.98 per 50lb bag myself. I got it in Massachusetts. They had like 2 palets full of the stuff. I only need about 2 bags, but I bought six :wink: What the hell, it's cheap enough and if I ever want to upgrade i'll have another 200 pounds.

F

 

[toyota44]

thanks for the search tips esmithiii, i'm gonna start fresh so I will probably do the Southdown, then a layer of live aragonite, this seems to be the best advice...keeps the sd from floating around, and seeds it with live bacteria. So my only question is, where is a good place to get some really really really good live sand to seed it with wormies....? I will probably only need a few lbs....

 

[esmithiii]

I vote for somewhere local so that you have minimal die-off. Some people like to get it from a variety of sources so that you have diversity, but I believe that the best bet is the bottom of your LFS's liverock holding tank or maybe they sell live sand.

Ernie

 

[moreey]

If you want the sand just call a home depot store on the east coast, shipping is rediculous, but I have heard it's totally worth it. I hope I don't regret the 150 for shipping of 200 pounds.

 

[King Jason]

Just put it in (if you don't have anything in the tank yet). You will have a southdown sand storm for the first 3-5 days (if you don't keep stirring it up). You can see pictures on my website that show what your tank will look like (In the filtration section).