Adding Sand

Not really, mix it in a cup with tank water and take it to bottom and pour out slowly is all i can think of. Make sure you pre rinse the sand.
 
PVC pipe, funel, pour in sand and aim where u want it at the bottom rinse sand tho


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When I rinsed I put sand in bucket fill with ro/di water and just rinse then pour out so u don't get all that dust and repeat if neccesary


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Pufferpunk said:
If it's sand in a bag, don't waste the extra $$$ for it. Nothing live in there.
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Do you have any scientific evidence to back up your claims as to the amount of living bacteria in the bag? I have never used this product; however I do not believe a large company like CaribSea would put out a product lacking live bacteria while claiming there are various species of live marine bacteria in the bags contents.

This would be a legal nightmare as I'm sure there has been at least one hobbyist who has actually put the contents under a microscope.
 
i agree with her just imagine they package the stuff and then itll sit in a warehouse for how long? and then it sits on a store shelf for even how much longer somtimes? idk about this. i didnt put live sand im my tank i just got the dry one and rinsed and added LR
 
mr_z said:
i agree with her just imagine they package the stuff and then itll sit in a warehouse for how long? and then it sits on a store shelf for even how much longer somtimes? idk about this. i didnt put live sand im my tank i just got the dry one and rinsed and added LR
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They make no claims about micro stars, bristle worms, pods, etc. The only claim is bacteria. Until someone puts it under a microscope, your claims of there being nothing live in the bag is purely speculation and has no base.

Bacteria can live in a volcano, in saltwater, in fresh water, in air, under the ground, in freezers, with food, without food, etc. To claim that nothing is alive in the bag without any evidence is an extremely bold claim to make.

Bio-Actif even has a patent on the harvesting and packaging of some types of marine substrate for rapid cycling an aquarium:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...6,939,708.PN.&OS=PN/6,939,708&RS=PN/6,939,708

The information at the bottom of this page also describes the method of keeping the bacteria alive within the packaging:

http://www.livesand.com/

They use a nutrient package called QX-23 which is a registered microorganism "feed":

http://healthcare.zibb.com/trademark/qx-23/29900236

Furthermore all packaged live sand products have expiration dates on them in order to be certain that the food source has not run out. Generally the shelf life is 12 months.

A little research or evidence would go a long way when making broad accusations and claims about products which are relevant to the hobby.
 
BlueToothTusk said:
They make no claims about micro stars, bristle worms, pods, etc. The only claim is bacteria. Until someone puts it under a microscope, your claims of there being nothing live in the bag is purely speculation and has no base.

Bacteria can live in a volcano, in saltwater, in fresh water, in air, under the ground, in freezers, with food, without food, etc. To claim that nothing is alive in the bag without any evidence is an extremely bold claim to make.

Bio-Actif even has a patent on the harvesting and packaging of some types of marine substrate for rapid cycling an aquarium:

http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-...6,939,708.PN.&OS=PN/6,939,708&RS=PN/6,939,708

The information at the bottom of this page also describes the method of keeping the bacteria alive within the packaging:

http://www.livesand.com/

They use a nutrient package called QX-23 which is a registered microorganism "feed":

http://healthcare.zibb.com/trademark/qx-23/29900236

Furthermore all packaged live sand products have expiration dates on them in order to be certain that the food source has not run out. Generally the shelf life is 12 months.

A little research or evidence would go a long way when making broad accusations and claims about products which are relevant to the hobby.
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One thing to be cautious about in this hobby is claims by manufacturers for cure all/fix all types of products.

Have algae? Add a few drops of this and BOOM! fixed.

Have ammonia? Run this chemical in your sump and BOOM! fixed.

Don't want to wait for a cycle? Use this bacteria or live sand and BOOM! you are ready for fish.


Experienced hobbyists agree that patience and establishing the nitrogen cycle through natural process is the sure way to make sure its right. Trusting one step fixes/cures are not desirable for most people.

Regardless of the amount of "scientific data" presented, I agree with the broad consensus that the best way to establish the tank and finish the cycle is patience, and as such these types of products are a waste of money.
 
jcarlilesiu said:
One thing to be cautious about in this hobby is claims by manufacturers for cure all/fix all types of products.

Have algae? Add a few drops of this and BOOM! fixed.

Have ammonia? Run this chemical in your sump and BOOM! fixed.

Don't want to wait for a cycle? Use this bacteria or live sand and BOOM! you are ready for fish.


Experienced hobbyists agree that patience and establishing the nitrogen cycle through natural process is the sure way to make sure its right. Trusting one step fixes/cures are not desirable for most people.

Regardless of the amount of "scientific data" presented, I agree with the broad consensus that the best way to establish the tank and finish the cycle is patience, and as such these types of products are a waste of money.
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I agree that the product is a waste of money if your only intention is to instantly establish a cycled aquarium. This does not encompass other advantages to packaged wet sands (ie. accelerated clearing of water due to biofilm on the sand).

That was not the only claim made though. When these types of claims are made by an individual who's claims are generally taken as truth, particularly an individual who is also a forum moderator, that claim must have some sort of base or evidentiary support. If not the claim should not only be questioned but proof should be required.

It is easy for someone to make a claim, but it is far more difficult for someone to successfully back their claim. General consensus is not fact. The claim that nothing is alive in a bag of packaged live sand was a factual claim, not a claim to the belief of the general consensus.
 
Thanks for all the information. I wasn't using the sand to quickly cycle my tank. It was recommend to me by someone that was in the hobby for awhile. I am using live rock from my 28 gallon that was up and running for 6 months or so. I just didn't want to use the sand from the 28 gallon.
 
Shaun Mack said:
Thanks for all the information. I wasn't using the sand to quickly cycle my tank. It was recommend to me by someone that was in the hobby for awhile. I am using live rock from my 28 gallon that was up and running for 6 months or so. I just didn't want to use the sand from the 28 gallon.
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There will be no negative aspects to using the sand. If you already had it on hand it was wise to use it.
 
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