What's on the bottom and why do you love it or hate?

How much do you like your current substrate?

  • Love it

    Votes: 157 30.3%
  • Like it

    Votes: 260 50.2%
  • Thinking of changing it

    Votes: 59 11.4%
  • Don't like it

    Votes: 20 3.9%
  • Hate it

    Votes: 14 2.7%
  • Changing is out ASAP

    Votes: 8 1.5%

  • Total voters
    518

sarcophytonIndy

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Love mine. One inch aragonite sand with lots of critters, many only come out at night, or when food is present.
 

Javamahn

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I have Fiji Pink in a 150G SPS. It blows from the center to the sides. I am running 2 WAVs and 2 Tunze 6105s on opposite sides. I am considering replacing about 1/3 with reef flakes as a mixed sandbed
 

Rick Krejci

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Started the tank with Special grade and liked it, but ran into GHA issues and did everything I could to fight it, including vacuuming it out and going BB for about 6 months. While BB has it's many advantages, I really don't like the unfinished look. So recently, I re-introduced Special Grade dry (and super well washed) back in and love it so much better. My tank looks like a nice, clean slice of ocean vs. a place to put rocks and frags. Just a personal preference.
 

Waters

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Went from Caribsea sand to BB.....then back to sand. Couldn't stand how "messy" the bottom looked with all the coralline algae covering the bottom.
 

Dr. Jim

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Bare bottom and I paint the bottom of the tank or platform white. Would never go back to sand but I only do SPS. I do like the look of sand and if I ever set up a LPS or mixed tank, I might consider coarse sand.
 

radiata

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1. What substrate are you using in your reef tank?

Original carbonate based Play Box Sand from garden store and Home Depot. (Probably a little hard to find these days.)

2. Why do you love it or hate?


With Sea Cucumbers, some Tongan Nassarius Snails, a Sand Dollar and a burrowing Leopard wrasse NO MAINTENANCE is required. No cleaning, no vacuuming, no nothing...

3. What would you or are you going to change it to?


If it ain't broke, don't fix it!
 

SixtyFeetUnder

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Running a sand bed in a ten year old tank that has gone through two moves has drove me to hate sand. All these corals and my eyes get drawn to the dirty sand. New build I’m doing will have starboard BB Style. if I don’t like it I could always add sand over the starboard but at this point I cant imagine running w sand again unless it was a theme oriented project.
 

trmiv

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Carib Sea special grade

I like the sand, but I hate the fact that my crazy Halichoeres Argus wrasse loves to go into the sand multiple times a day, and have massive convulsions to kick sand everywhere so it can hunt the pods and worms that come out. I’m constantly unburying corals and blowing sand off my rocks.
 

fishbulb

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I used CaribSea Special Grade I believe, and my pumps were blowing it around. I've now added a combination coral rubble and large grades to cover the areas that get the highest flow. So I think a mixed grade is working best for me.
 

madweazl

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I have a mix between Fiji Pink and Special Grade (40lbs Fiji to 80lbs Special Grade).

It's small enough for the diamond goby to sift and the combo is just course enough that it doesn't move around too much with the MP40s at max. Sometimes the goby helps in this regard and sometimes it doesn't and I'll have to go in pull some back to the middle by hand. Well worth the trade-off for me; I love sand sifters, pistol/goby pairs, conch, cucumbers, sand stars etc..

Wouldn't change a thing.
 

Bapeluso

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Also, I forgot to mention the best part of my sand, it allows a safe home for my 18+ inch green carpet! Sorry, had to have a pic on this thread somewheres
20191116_160536.jpg
 

themcnertney

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I was always thinking about BB. Your reply changed my mind about it! That would look bad. Thanks
It only temporarily looks bad. I'll fix the problem and get it under control. Its been a roller coaster for my tank lately.
My end goal is a blanket of coral for a floor. Maybe zoas, chalice, blue clove, maybe a combo of many different coral? Who knows.
 

rmiller7891

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Caribsea fiji pink, blows all around and is annoying to manage. Wish I didn't have sand, but I don't know if a 20gal cube would do well without it?
 

A worm with high fashion and practical utility: Have you ever kept feather dusters in your reef aquarium?

  • I currently have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 67 37.6%
  • Not currently, but I have had feather dusters in my tank in the past.

    Votes: 59 33.1%
  • I have not had feather dusters, but I hope to in the future.

    Votes: 25 14.0%
  • I have no plans to have feather dusters in my tank.

    Votes: 27 15.2%
  • Other.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
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