Caribsea Aragonite

unionfishguy · Jan 29, 2014

I have been looking at getting this for several tanks at school, and I was wondering if anybody had personal experience with this and general tips/info for it

rock_lobster · Jan 29, 2014

Its calcium carbonate sand works great for saltwater tanks..

Salty Dog · Jan 29, 2014

I just ordered 480lbs from pet smart,, 40lb bags. the best price out there.

unionfishguy · Jan 29, 2014

How accurate is its claim to reduce nitrates? And it's claim to maintain a pH of 8.2?

unionfishguy · Jan 30, 2014

And how did you guys rinse it?

Mike J. · Jan 30, 2014

It will reduce nitrates only if it's a deep sand bed. Oolite aragonite sand can dissolve in a pH as high as 8.2, so that claim is correct. Just fill a 5 gal. bucket 1/4 way with sand and use a hose to rinse it. If it's live sand, don't rinse.

West Mariculture · Jan 30, 2014

CaribSea sand requires a LOT of rinsing. You'll lose 10-15% of the sand in rinsing alone. Most people don't realize this, but it's just money down the drain. I manufacture and sell a competing product, but I'm quite sure noone will dispute this fact about CaribSea. Feel free to google "ebay EcoReefSand" (without the quotes) to find my product. We purchase our sand direct from the same supplier as CaribSea, but do a MUCH better job of washing and grading. No rinsing required! You get to keep what you pay for, and you don't have to do all the work of rinsing. PM if you have any questions.

impur · Jan 30, 2014

I use the CaribSea figi pink in my tank. I love it.

barsreef · Jan 30, 2014

you will see i drop slightly as soon as it is put in the tank then it'll slowly creep back to pre addition levels at least in my experience

rock_lobster · Jan 30, 2014

unionfishguy said:
How accurate is its claim to reduce nitrates? And it's claim to maintain a pH of 8.2?

It will not reduce nitrates, rather probably produce them as most sand beds do. As for the pH sand will not buffer your tank much at all and certainly wont keep the pH stable.
Why do we have sand you may ask...? well its not ideal many people go bare bottom:) but It does have some appeal for providing additional bateria/ammonia sponge, harboring inverts, and of course the attractive beach look.

TarHeelReefer22 · Jan 30, 2014

Great substrate! I have ton of flow in my tank and it doesn't go anywhere! Sand dwellers can still sift and live in it as well! My biggest thing is to rinse it very very well! I spent almost an hour rinsing it off and still had a cloudy tank for over two hours. I got a 32 gallon trashcan and put a five gallon bucket in upside down inside the trash can. I then stabbed several holes in the bottom of the bag and tore a large hole in the top. I then took my hose and flushed water into the large hole in the top and let it flow out of the holes in the bottom while the dirty water collected into the large trash can. I let it do this until the water run out clear. Then pick up the bag disturbing the substrate inside and repeated the process two or three more times to ensure a good rinse. Other than the cleaning before use this is hands down my favorite substrate.

Salty Dog · Jan 31, 2014

I came home yesterday to find this.

unionfishguy · Jan 31, 2014

Did you not order it?

Salty Dog · Jan 31, 2014

yes I ordered 480lb for my ,500g tank build, got 4 more coming

unionfishguy · Jan 31, 2014

500 gallons!! What are you putting in that thing???

Mike J. · Jan 31, 2014

I just got this delivered. Oolite aragonite sand can dissolve in a pH as high as 8.2. Oolitic aragonite has the wonderful benefit of dissolving rather quickly; in ordinary systems it has a half-life of approximately 18 months. The dissolution of the calcareous sand is a great source or minerals for reef growth. This sand is gong to be used to add to an existing tank that has dissolved. Keeping a deep sand bed deep is important.