I am starting a new build and need to choose some sand. My last build was my 1st reef and went with Caribsea Live sand in Figi Pink. I found this sand very fine and my pistol shrimp would make a cloud storms with it. Once it was settled in after a few months the cloud storms reduced but I can still tell when he is digging. The Pistol will be going in the new build.What do you guys/gals prefer??
What sand do you prefer??
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Pre rinse your new sand in tap for an hour before use, then ro water before setup. Any sand but oolite sand works fine when pre rinsed. No it doesn't harm bacteria, they're stuck to sand grains until burned, frozen, dried or medicated. The sand rinse thread opens by tracking ten tanks who didn't rinse and then 23 pages of those who do pre rinse or clean occasionally by rinsing. Wrasses can dive in, no cloud etc
It's handy to be able to track lifespan and enjoyment of systems in rinsed vs unrinsed setups all in one thread, before we experiment on our own $
The only form of sand we don't pre rinse in tap to total clarity is real live sand from TBS, with actual wiggling animals in it. Zero bagged sands are that way, so we rinse.
It's handy to be able to track lifespan and enjoyment of systems in rinsed vs unrinsed setups all in one thread, before we experiment on our own $
The only form of sand we don't pre rinse in tap to total clarity is real live sand from TBS, with actual wiggling animals in it. Zero bagged sands are that way, so we rinse.
Bayareareefer18
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I ditched my fiji pink for special grade. I am really happy with the special grade
Shaummy
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When I rebooted my tank a few years ago...I went with Tropic Eden Reefflakes and have been really happy with it. I did rinse the sand lightly before adding it to the tank, but I think I could have gotten away with not rinsing since it was really clean.
Miami Reef
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Special Grade all the way! Looks great, and doesn't blow around when you have flow in the tank.
Devaji
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lots of love for special grade!
I am not 100% sold on BB tanks if your going full SPS then sure give it a try.
for me the sand does add a relaxing effect, now if it"S not taken care if yeah it can be a PITA
I am not 100% sold on BB tanks if your going full SPS then sure give it a try.
for me the sand does add a relaxing effect, now if it"S not taken care if yeah it can be a PITA
I wanted bright white, fine grained sand and decided to order small bags of a few to see how they looked in person and relative to each other.
Left to right:
As I wanted a bright white sand, the CaribSea was out- as you can see it is quite a bit darker than the Tropic Eden products. I ended up using 50-50 reef flakes and minifkakes and am very happy.
Unfortunately, Premium Aquatics seems to be the sole US distributor, and has difficulty keeping the product in stock. Tropic Eden Mesoflakes are a nice compromise in size between the reef flakes and mini flakes, but seem to be perennially on backorder.
Left to right:
- Tropic Eden Miniflakes
- Tropic Eden Reefflakes
- CaribSea Fiji Pink
As I wanted a bright white sand, the CaribSea was out- as you can see it is quite a bit darker than the Tropic Eden products. I ended up using 50-50 reef flakes and minifkakes and am very happy.
Unfortunately, Premium Aquatics seems to be the sole US distributor, and has difficulty keeping the product in stock. Tropic Eden Mesoflakes are a nice compromise in size between the reef flakes and mini flakes, but seem to be perennially on backorder.
Bayareareefer18
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I think sand tends to look tan like that when wet and not underwater. Has a much different appearance when under water and lights on. Definitely more whiteI wanted bright white, fine grained sand and decided to order small bags of a few to see how they looked in person and relative to each other.
Left to right:
- Tropic Eden Miniflakes
- Tropic Eden Reefflakes
- CaribSea Fiji Pink
As I wanted a bright white sand, the CaribSea was out- as you can see it is quite a bit darker than the Tropic Eden products. I ended up using 50-50 reef flakes and minifkakes and am very happy.
Unfortunately, Premium Aquatics seems to be the sole US distributor, and has difficulty keeping the product in stock. Tropic Eden Mesoflakes are a nice compromise in size between the reef flakes and mini flakes, but seem to be perennially on backorder.
ca1ore
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Exactly! And its a good 'compromise' sand should one wish to keep sand sleeping wrasses as I do.
xxkenny90xx
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Natural beach sand all the way! I'm on my 3rd batch after 8 years of reefing. But its illegal to collect in many places
Thread is a little old, but what're some opinions about mixing sugar sized and special grade sand? I'm setting up my first saltwater tank in a 150 gallon with 2" of sand and plenty of flow. If I layer sugar sized sand on the bottom and special grade on top, will wrasses and gobies mix it up and create sandstorms? Trying to avoid dust which may upset any potential corals.
I'm open to the idea of just special grade if that would be best
I'm open to the idea of just special grade if that would be best
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