I have agreed to give a local reefer a "good scoop" of my LS to help get his tank started. I know that my bed if full of critters so I'm not worried on that account. What I really want to know is how to collect the sand? Should I try to skim the top layer of sand? Dig all the way to the bottom? He is setting up a 200 gallon system with real Southdown. :) How much is enough? A quart bag? A gallon?

When I asked him about his sand he told me he had bought several bags from another reefer to set his tank up. Of course, he has a sandstorm. :( This too shall pass. And, he has a couple of bags left over and he is going to give me one! :clap: :clap:

carmie the reason they call it seeding is cause thats what your doing, not constituting it! any amount of sand will be enough,your aim is to give the bactera in the new environment a fighting chance to gain foothold. on any square inch there would be tens of millions so i wouldn't stress over volumes. personally i wouldn't fill more that half an icecream container. as for the oceans its recommended to take only the top few inches for us wild collectors, as for domestic tanks i dont belive its such an issue. id even use the gravel washer with a submerged container as a collector. Give him some real good stuff to process...lol


as for the exchange, a bag of top-up for you would be a nice jester.
a slab of beer usualy gets me...lol

An but we are making the exchange on my lunch hour so I'd better fore-go the adult beverages!

"Its all about the seeds dude!"http://www.alexander-oberg.de/smileys/viecher/jesus.gif

i know your smarter than this comment carmiehttp://www.alexander-oberg.de/smileys/viecher/desperado.gif, just dont forget to keep water within the container covering the sand, avoid the end spectrums of temperature & make sure its in a sealable container so your car seats stay dry!http://www.alexander-oberg.de/smileys/viecher/1.gif

"Its all about the seeds dude!"http://www.alexander-oberg.de/smileys/viecher/jesus.gif

i know your smarter than this comment carmiehttp://www.alexander-oberg.de/smileys/viecher/desperado.gif, just dont forget to keep water within the container covering the sand, avoid the end spectrums of temperature & make sure its in a sealable container so your car seats stay dry!http://www.alexander-oberg.de/smileys/viecher/1.gif
How long sand can stay alive is dependent on how clean the sand is. Benefitial bactaria can go into dormacy, but most waste products in the sand will not.

Well, it ended up that I put a couple of inches of sand in a gallon ziplock bag for him. It was covered with water so hopefully it will get his tank going.