another sand vs crushed coral???

[dfwatson]

I have a 75 fowlv and i already have 2 inchs of crush coral. I was thinking of adding sand (2inches)on top of crushed coral only in about half the bottom surface areas. I think it would look nice and natural. Any ideas???? Also have a 20gal long as a refugium under main tank. Has Chaetomorpha and live rock pieces in it. no fish yet just clean up crew in main tank

[OrionGirl]

I prefer sand--no crushed coral, just sand. I started with CC, and you have to clean it, just like with gravel in a FW setup. Yuck! Big pain. Adding sand to a tank that's already setup, though, is another issue. I'm in favor of tearing the tank down, putting in snad, then putting back the animals and rock. Adding sand through the water column is a mess--fine sand ends up all over, in everything, including power heads, which can damage impellers.

[dfwatson]

OK, Anybody in NC know where to get Southdown or something like it for less than an arm and a leg. Also if I found a way to put the sand in (on top of coral)without messing everythig up, would this create a simlar effect of just a dsb. Thanks for the help!

[OrionGirl]

You'd have to mix the CC into the sand--a layer on top won't be as effective, and will inhibit the movement of the in-bed fauna.

Check Lowe's and Home Depot--tropical play sand is how it's usually labelled, and the brand can also be Old Kastle.

[dfwatson]

After 50 million phone calls I found some Yardright Tropical Play Sand in NC. It was 2 hours away but I went on a road trip and got. That was just way to hard but it beat paying $25 for a 20 lb bag at the lfs