Live Sand - Good... or waste of money?

[mexxedm]

Originally Posted by SeaHorse_Fanatic

Use dry well-washed sand. Buying bags of live sand IMO & IME is a waste of $$. Get a cup of sand from someone's tank (non-medicated) or just wait for the bacteria in the LR to seed it (as others have stated).

Someone's sand has a lot Phospho. I don't think it is a good idea to put in the new tank.

[Aquattro]

I find, if you're adding live rock, minimum half pound per gallon, that's enough to add critters to your tank. Use whatever sand is cheaper. "Live" sand IMO is a gimmick and a waste of the extra money, although if you pay for water, rinsing regular sand might bring the cost closer. Bottles of bacteria are also a gimmick and not required. Cycled live rock is enough.
As an example, I set my tank up on a Monday, Tuesday I moved all my livestock, which is a fairly heavy load. No issues whatsoever.