Live ocean sand regrets

[56longroof]

Have you thought about just topping it with new sand?

 

[areefer01]

I got live ocean sand for my 40 gallon and thought I'd definitely do the same for my upcoming 170. But I'm having second thoughts because the sand is basically invisible under a layer of broken shells, etc. I might as well have gotten crushed coral. It looks like a mess on this sandbed. I definitely don't want this same look in my 170. But 170 is anticipated to be high now because I want a bunch of SPSes there.

No need for second thoughts. Just do not buy as much of it and spread the love around the display. I do not mean this to sound disrespectful (because that isn't my jam) but I feel you are over thinking it. But honestly pretend you are the Easter Bunny tossing skittles in the youngsters basket.

TBS and KP Aquatic live sand does have various size grain with some shells mixed in but that is what we are paying for if truth be told. Surface area for the microbiome. Pods, bristle worms, and mini stars will love you.

In time you will have various broken frags or shells littering the place anyway if you are successful at all. This is not a knock just that as our tanks mature animals and hobbyist knock stuff around and it lands in places we may or may not care to reach.

 

[CheifReeferNB]

I got live ocean sand for my 40 gallon and thought I'd definitely do the same for my upcoming 170. But I'm having second thoughts because the sand is basically invisible under a layer of broken shells, etc. I might as well have gotten crushed coral. It looks like a mess on this sandbed. I definitely don't want this same look in my 170. But 170 is anticipated to be high now because I want a bunch of SPSes there.

I have the same sand for my tank and it is very rubble heavy. Fortunately this is ideal for a high flow sps tank and I’ve learned to appreciate it for that.

Also, the course sand and rubble provides a ridiculous amount of hiding places for microfauna. 6 months after adding the sand, I still have plankton spawning in my tank. There’s a video I posted on here.

Also a crazy amount of coralline algae to boost the start of your tank. You could sift it out and create rubble zones in high flow areas. That would be perfect for wrasses who need to burrow and also love to pick through rubble.

 

[Abyssara]

You could use a sieve to remove the shells.

 

[DmitryB]

I got live ocean sand for my 40 gallon and thought I'd definitely do the same for my upcoming 170. But I'm having second thoughts because the sand is basically invisible under a layer of broken shells, etc. I might as well have gotten crushed coral. It looks like a mess on this sandbed. I definitely don't want this same look in my 170. But 170 is anticipated to be high now because I want a bunch of SPSes there.

I have the same sand for my tank and it is very rubble heavy. Fortunately this is ideal for a high flow sps tank and I’ve learned to appreciate it for that.

Also, the course sand and rubble provides a ridiculous amount of hiding places for microfauna. 6 months after adding the sand, I still have plankton spawning in my tank. There’s a video I posted on here.

Also a crazy amount of coralline algae to boost the start of your tank. You could sift it out and create rubble zones in high flow areas. That would be perfect for wrasses who need to burrow and also love to pick through rubble.

I was wondering about sand reliant fish like a Blenny or a Wrasse. Would they be ok with this? There's sand underneath the rubble.

 

[DmitryB]

Have you thought about just topping it with new sand?

I'd be reluctant to make the sandbed too deep and there's a chance over time it all just rearranged itself and be right back to the current situation.

 

[CheifReeferNB]

I got live ocean sand for my 40 gallon and thought I'd definitely do the same for my upcoming 170. But I'm having second thoughts because the sand is basically invisible under a layer of broken shells, etc. I might as well have gotten crushed coral. It looks like a mess on this sandbed. I definitely don't want this same look in my 170. But 170 is anticipated to be high now because I want a bunch of SPSes there.

I have the same sand for my tank and it is very rubble heavy. Fortunately this is ideal for a high flow sps tank and I’ve learned to appreciate it for that.

Also, the course sand and rubble provides a ridiculous amount of hiding places for microfauna. 6 months after adding the sand, I still have plankton spawning in my tank. There’s a video I posted on here.

Also a crazy amount of coralline algae to boost the start of your tank. You could sift it out and create rubble zones in high flow areas. That would be perfect for wrasses who need to burrow and also love to pick through rubble.

I was wondering about sand reliant fish like a Blenny or a Wrasse. Would they be ok with this? There's sand underneath the rubble.

Yes you can create rubble free zones and they’ll be fine. Or some people do a Tupperware container and bury it to the rim.

 

[DmitryB]

I'm with Randy on this one- looks nice! However, if you absolutely dislike the look and need it out of your tank, I might consider even something like a cat litter scooper. You can likely find them with varying size of slits in the scooper to screen on some smaller to larger spectrum based on your preference. You could do a few scoops through the front of the tank bed each day, gently screening over time until it's gone but not overly disrupting the total sand bed and tank all at one time.

This is not a bad idea. It's not like this is an emergency. Just skim off a few scoops at a time over time.

 

[RobertK]

Here's what I did. Worked great!

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/using-classifiers-for-sifting-diver-collected-live-sand.1156470/#post-14315429

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Maybe I am crazy, but I enjoyed the crushed shell look my pico tank had. I think it would be cool to maybe do a mix of that and sand (like CaribSea Arag Alive). It would give it a beach look.