Local substrate options?

G

Grendel0501

New member
Hello local reefers , joined RC just to hang with you guys. ;)

On to my question.
I am having a hard time picking out a substrate.

Maybe someone here can help me , since you guys know what I can find locally.

I am putting together my first reef aquarium! A 45 gallon , that I picked up used.

I figure I need about 40-50lbs of substrate. I want something my CUC can sift and clean easily , but I also want something that my powerheads won't sweep up into the water. I want good biological filtration. It doesn't have to be live , I have about 50lbs of live rock I intend to add that can seed it , if needed.

I like the look of aragonite (white w/ small blue specs) , but I don't know what particle sizes are the right size for what I want. Also , on the caribsea substrates , I don't find the grain size listed.

What do you guys think I should get? I can get it online if that is a must , I just figured it would be cheaper to get it locally.

Also should I do a deep sand bed?
 
:bounce1: :dance: :bounce3: :bounce1: :bounce2: :wave: :wavehand: :fish1:

Well you are in the right place!!!

The questions that you ask however has more opinions than "Carters got liver pills" (lets you know how old I am you probably have no idea what that is refering to.)

I personally like a mix, and about 3 to 4 inches but there are many different opinions out there from deep sand to Bare Bottom, to using rubble alone.

Here is one thread that is a good start to check out:

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=803688

Also check the back issues of the ReefKeeping magazine here on reef central there are some good articles on substrate and deep sand beds specifically.

Local source, I would go with Kermits Reef or Memfish, they are both Memphis Area Marine and Reef Club Sponsers have a good selection and can really help you make a good choice, and in the long run will save you money over having it shipped. Plus you get to see what you are buying.


KERMITS REEF
Located at
8551 Macon Rd Cordova, TN 38018
901.755.8033

Store Hours:
Now open 7 days a week!

Monday - Friday 12 to 6
Saturday 11 - 6
Sunday 12 to 4

MEMFISH
Located at
5719 Quince Road
Memphis, TN 38119

901-766-2992

Store Hours

Monday: Closed
Tuesday - Friday: 10am - 6pm
Saturday: 10am-7pm
Sunday: 12pm-5pm

While you are at it, Join the Reef Club, Nows a great time and it is really a good group of diverse peronallities brought togather by one common interest, they have sure helped me out a lot. Check out the club website http://wtmrac.org/ and come on out to the Christmas party, great time to join and meet some people that can help you out along the way!!!

Hope you enjoy your tank as much as I do mine!!!
 
Last edited:
welcome Grendel0501

you will find everyone has thier own taste in the sand they like , personals i have a 1.5 '' sand bed with a mix of carbsea white bioactive substrate with a 1/4 mix of black sand . i have about 3,200 gph total in flow in my 90 gal , thast about 35 x my water volume an hour and im not having any sand storms. you realy wont have sand storms unless your pointing a return line or a power head directly tword the sand, for sugar grain size sand im not sure, but it does look nice.
 
First of all Grendel0501, Welcome!!! You'll find these folks to be a wealth of knowledge and helpful advice. Like Ducklabdad's link here. (Great link Bill.)

Secondly, Ducklabdad makes us look Like "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest"

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13885718#post13885718 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ducklabdad
:bounce1: :dance: :bounce3: :bounce1: :bounce2: :wave: :wavehand: :fish1:

Well you are in the right place!!!
Click to expand...
Clearly!

My two-cents are: It's a personal thing with substrates. Mainly aesthetics, IF you've got another source of Bio-Filtration, chiefly Live Rock or a Fuge.

In my particular instance, I have placed the LR into place first, aquascaped it to my design, and then back-filled around it with Live Caribe-sand. I have a 2” PVC funnel I made to help minimize the “Poof” of the sand Underwater.

(BTW WTMRAC: I can Loan this to the Club as Needed. It’s a 28” tall, 2” PVC pipe with a 6” “funnel” reducer. It cost about $15 to build if you were so inclined, but I can gladly loan it to the club as needed. I only used it once initially so “we” will rarely use them, but its really helpful to keep the rest of your tank NOT looking like a Chicago Snowstorm in mid-February!!!)

In the back of the tank, out of view, there is no sand. Up front where the sand-sifter, Duncan’s and crabs actually live, it's about an Inch to inch and a half deep, which is really irrelevant, given my Orange Spotted Watchman goby who sifts the sand dunes all around everyday regardless, so that really does not matter. It "Looks" like the whole tank has sand, but it's not necessary.

As to sources, hit either Kermit’s or MemFish. Both stock what you’re looking for.

Hope to meet you someday.
 
I was at Memfish yesterday. They had a bag of CaribSea substrate , can't remember the type but I think it was more like sand than aragionite. They also had a 20lbs bag for Caribsea "aragamix" whatever that is?

Everywhere I read Aragonite was suggested over sand , bc of the sand storm issues. You guys are the first to say sand is fine.

Ihavetats , that's alot of water movment for no sand storms. Do you have any pics of your "dirty bed"? :)


If I can't find anything I like the look of locally , I might get 40lbs of this.
http://www.thatpetplace.com/pet/prod/239681/product.web
Or have Memfish or Kermit's order something similar for me , would save shipping.

1.2-1.7mm seems like a nice "middle" size grain. That hopefully my CUC can stir up constantly.

I'm gonna run by Kermit's and see what they carry. I'll be back around later.

Later Guys
 
All Kermit's had was Caribsea live sand , no aragonite.

Don't I want aragonite for the calcium it can put into my system?
 
yup here ya go,

DSCF0165.jpg


DSCF0166.jpg


DSCF0167.jpg


DSCF0168.jpg
 
the sand on the rock and corals are thanks to my yellow headed sleeper golby he loves to litter up everything but he will be getting a new home next month when i move.
 
I have aragonite and have never had any problems with it blowing, etc the almost 4 years I have had it in my tank. I have Caribe in my 3 and 12 gallons and bare bottom in my frag tank. It is just a matter of preference.
 
Like I said: It's a personal thing with substrates. Mainly aesthetics.

I happen to like the "sand-storms", and watching the Watchman play bulldozer. (The sand settles immediately after it's stirred up, but if you really don't want any bottom substrate on your lower corals and rocks, then go with the larger dia. aragonite.

(P.S. - Live Sand is just crushed or naturally pulverized aragonite with Live Bacteria, used to kick-start dry aragonite.)

http://www.marinedepot.com/ps_searc...ndorcode~CS~vendorname~CaribSea~parsed~1.html
 
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