Need Help Picking The Best Sand/Substrate!

[Reilly Keenen]

Hello, I'll be setting up my first tank and I need help picking a substrate. I have caribsea fiji pink and special grade in mind but I really dont know what is best. I will have two jabeo pp4's and my return pump does 400-800 gph. I will mainly have LPS and softies with maybe a couple SPS. I would also like to be able to gravel vaccum the sand but not have it get sucked all the way though the siphon (so I can clean the sand but not have to replace it with every water change). What do you all recommend?

 

[LetItReef]

I have the Caribsea bimini pink and I regret it putting in my tank. There are small pieces of rocks and not appealing at all. My sand that I bought from Petco on my first tank is way better.
I'm removing it slowly-weekly by doing a wet vac and will replace it with Tropic eden reef flakes.

 

[Reilly Keenen]

I have the Caribsea bimini pink and I regret it putting in my tank. There are small pieces of rocks and not appealing at all. My sand that I bought from Petco on my first tank is way better.
I'm removing it slowly-weekly by doing a wet vac and will replace it with Tropic eden reef flakes.

I have seen a lot of people recommend those but I worry the the appearance would look quite gravely. I guess though if I went with the special grade it would look kinda gravely as well.

 

[Stevelikesfish]

I would use the Ocean Direct live reef sand. Fits your criteria and it looks really nice

 

[Reilly Keenen]

I would use the Ocean Direct live reef sand. Fits your criteria and it looks really nice

Doesn't that stuff have some pretty large chunks in it? Also I forgot to mention I also plan on having a watchmen or yasha goby with a pistol shrimp so I need sand that can also work with them.

 

[Stevelikesfish]

Doesn't that stuff have some pretty large chunks in it? Also I forgot to mention I also plan on having a watchmen or yasha goby with a pistol shrimp so I need sand that can also work with them.

My pistol and goby love it. I also added some crush coral and shells by where the have their hole and they put it to good use. It has fine enough sand for a watchmen to do great as well

 

[WesleyC]

Larger and/or more irregular shape sand/chunks make better cave.

Well, actually, if it's not good enough, they'll build and build again. Maybe for human, it actually means better watching them doing it again and again. :)