DSB startup

[gasser]

If I were to start a DSB which product would you or have you used? Also who have you ordered such products from over the net?

Thanks, Bill

[phistio]

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to ReefLounge

a lot of factors could lead to diffenerent answers to your question...

if you have a smaller size volume tank, i'd suggest getting some carib-sea live agonite sand. it has all the necessary bacteria, and fauna to have a healthy DSB...the problem is, is that it's pretty expensive, about $30-$40 dollars a bag...for 20lbs. start putting that into the equation of a 200g tank, and you've got a huge purchase...

if you're talking a large volume tank...i'd go with good 'ol south down play sand from home depot, you can seed it with a few bags of the forementioned live sand, but the two are different colors...

here, R. Shimek has much to say about DSB's

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

[BigE]

If I had my choice of sand bed substrate I'd go for the stuff from this company.... http://www.purearagonite.com/

[HoopsGuru]

I don't know why anyone would pay extra for "live" aragonite sand when it is ridiculously simple to get aragonite playsand for 1/4 the price and have the bacteria populate it in a short time anyway.

[ssgibby]

I agree, but Southdown is hard to find. Some people dont like the look of playsand (Tan/Brown Color). If they are setting up a small tank, A couple bags of Pure Aragonite would not be too bad if Southdown or crushed Limestone is not aviable.

[Tim C]

No matter what substrate you end up using, you can seed it with a detritivore kit that contains the fauna that would live in the sand. Your live rock will supply the bacteria.

You can get a detritivore kit at the following web sites:

Indo-Pacific Farms: http://www.ipsf.com/

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

Bill's Reef Online: http://billsreef.safeshopper.com/index.htm?265
or try www.billsreef.com

If you know someone in your area that has live sand with a good amount of fauna in it, you may offer some money to get some of it.

I had a dsb way back in the mid 80's that was seeded with 15 lbs. of uncured live rock from Florida. I had spaghetti worms and bristle worms all over the substrate, and back then I was using crushed coral. I lucked out, I never even heard the phrase reef aquarium let alone deep sand bed back then. In fact, I didn't even know what "cured" live rock was back then either.

birder2