First yes live sand and live rock speed up a cycle very much. Year ago when starting a saltwater tank it was not uncommon for it to take 6-12 weeks. Now with live sand and live rock I have cycle a tanks in 4- 6 days.
Huge difference right!!!!
Second live rock as a general rule you should use about 1-2 pounds per gal. Sand is a bt harder to judge, it depend on how deep of a sand bed you want. You can use as little as 2 inches or I have seen as much as 9 inches in a tank. You do not have to use all live sand. I usually use 1 or 2 bags to seed the regular sand. Other wse it get to be expensive.
If you are looking for live sand, we at the Brooklyn Aquarium Society are selling it for $20.00 a bag for 20 lbs. Thats a steel!! Just come to one of our meetings, look on our site for the next mmeting
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