Best substrate? Considering Special Grade Reef...

[Billybatz9]

You get what you pay for, IMO. I have Tropic Eden Miniflake (around the rockwork) and Reeflake, and would never think of switching to anything else. Though my tank is only 18 months old, the sand still looks outstanding, and much better than some of the younger Caribsea tanks of friends I know.

I read that reefflakes are around 3.5 mm in size? Is this correct? If so, that might be a little large for some sand fish dont you think?

 

[TreyK]

40 lbs caribsea special grade $41.42 + Free Shipping if you spend $49
30 lbs reefflakes $44.99 + $9.00 (Total $53.99 just for sand)

If you go with caribsea, you will get 10 extra lbs and can get a $10 item like purigen for the cost of what reeflakes charges for shipping, since drsfostersmith doesnt charge for shipping when you spend $49

You will end up saving $12.57 if you go with caribsea (if you need to purchase something else) to reach that $49 mark and you get 10 extra lbs of sand.

To me, I'd prefer reefflakes, but in the end, I feel like the sand will be the same color after a while. I do have to admit, I do love that white color. But how long will it stay white? And after a few vacuums, you might need to order more sand to add to your tank after siphoning some out after a while. But with caribsea, you will have that extra 10 lbs on hand

Just my thought.

Meh, ok I spend more than 13 bucks on lunch every day. :facepalm:

In a tank with high flow the grain size (not to mention consistency) makes a big difference. In a SSB application not only does it prevent sandstorms and compaction but the grain size is also "optimal" for bacterial colonization.

Not to mention the fact that reef flake tend to be much cleaner than alternatives which minimizes the amount of time that I need to be rinsing it.

 

[NTP66]

I read that reefflakes are around 3.5 mm in size? Is this correct? If so, that might be a little large for some sand fish dont you think?

I think they say it's between 2-4mm, which I'd agree with. Here's a comparison shot:

I don't think it'd be a problem for fish that enjoy the sand like wrasses and gobies, either. I've seen MUCH larger sand particles in other tanks that held those fish, and they all seemed fine. If you're still concerned, you can combine the miniflake and reeflake together and just go with that. I used both, but for a different reason - I wanted the smaller miniflake to essentially lock in the rockwork to the glass.

 

[Billybatz9]

Went with Caribsea seaflor special grade. Looks nice and is better for the fish that like the sand IMO Plus I got free shipping and an extra 10 lbs (total 40lbs) - not bad

If I had the money, I'd order a sample pack from premiumaquatics for the reefflakes to see the grain size. Based on what they label (3.5mm) That just seemed way too big for me.