Substrate options

[theclownshow]

I am in the final stages of planning my 120 gallon mixed reef tank and trying to decide on substrate.

A few details…
I have built my reef scape out of dry rock,
I ordered 10 lbs of live rock and 10 lbs of live sand from Tampa bay saltwater to seed my tank

A few questions..
So I go with dry or live sand? I’m leaning towards dry since I have read quite a bit about bagged live sand commercially available not being all it’s cracked up to be.

I’m stuck between Fiji pink and special grade aragonite. Is the difference only the looks? I understand Fiji pink is smaller and could blow around more but I think I can manage that.

Are there other brands or options to consider other then caribsea?

I would be interested to see some of your mature tanks with Fiji pink vs the special grade and how it looks over time. Thanks!

 

[Tahoe61]

Managing too fine of a grain of sand can be extremely frustrating and I believe it may contribute to cyanobacteria. I have seen big systems with Fiji Pink. Just something to consider.
Getting a portion of live TBS is a good move.