Nature's Ocean live sand

JouteiMike

http://www.naturesocean.com/live_sand.htm

I saw this at my LFS a while ago. Anyone use this stuff before? Seems like it's pretty good. If I use this sand, would I HAVE to immediately put fish/inverts in there to supply the bacteria with waste to break down so they won't die? I'm thinking the live rock would be enough for about a month or so before I added anything else.

Any other recommendations for quality live sand that you have used?

usmc121581

I have used this stuff before. I actually have 2 bags mixed w/ argonite in my main tank and 1 bag in my sump. You should be good. The bacteria will feed off of stuff in the sand. If you want you can do that, if your worried about it.

bettababy

I'd be careful not to add the inverts too soon. Some of these bags of live sand sit on store shelves for months before they're sold. There is often die off from time, temp fluctuations, and other factors in shipping and shelf life. This can show an ammonia level for a short time when first put into the tank. I always make sure to poor off any liquid that might be in the bag before putting it into my tank. This helps to decrease that risk.
If this is a new tank, then it will still also need to cycle, and inverts will be very sensitive to that, more so than most fish. The live rock and sand together for the first 4 wks should be enough to get you stable, and then I would start with 1 small fish, wait 2 weeks, and then begin stocking maintenance crew.
Hope this helped.