Which Sand?

[SMS76]

Planning to setup new reef tank soon and wondering in the absense of Southdown, what other sand can i use? I am planning to setup 72g bow with around 2-3" sand bed. Any suggetions..

 

[sir_dudeguy]

aragonite

 

[Reef_bones]

Just pick something that has a grain size and coloration you like. Everyone will tell you you must use aragonite, but thats just not the case. Silica sand being harmful to your tank is a myth. Lots of long term success with silica playsand has been seen. People often confuse silica and silicates...They are not the same. If silica sand is harmful than you better not get a glass tank held together with silicone cause they are made out of silica as well.As for the buffering capabilities of the aragonite, you will never reach a PH level to actual see the buffering.. And it is very little effect even if you do. I always try to figure out how much flow I want in the tank and go with a grain size that will not blow around. For instance if I want high flow I get a bigger grain..Lower flow smaller grain..Stay away from anything that has alot of black specs in it, and rinse any playsand thouroughly in a bucket before use....

Now with that said...I prefer Playsand for the first 2" of my sand bed and a the expensive caribea sea for the top 2-3" on my DSB... The reason I like the coloration and grain size of the caribea sea...

Hope this helps.

 

[ACBlinky]

I'm a big fan of Bahamas Oolite myself. There are lots of sands that will work, as Reef_bones said pick what appeals to you the most (or what the tank's inhabitants will prefer, if you're getting animals that will use the sand, like wrasses or jawfish).

 

[TellyFish]

I just bought some carib sea aragonite sand and it looks great. I have also used pool filter sand, which is a silica based sand, with no ill effects.

 

[SMS76]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7837074#post7837074 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ACBlinky
I'm a big fan of Bahamas Oolite myself. There are lots of sands that will work, as Reef_bones said pick what appeals to you the most (or what the tank's inhabitants will prefer, if you're getting animals that will use the sand, like wrasses or jawfish).

Where can i find Bahams Oolite sand? Are there any sand close to southdown that i can get from Home Depot or Walmart or other stores?

 

[ACBlinky]

Mine is live sand, from CaribSea. I've tried different sands (Fiji Pink, Aragonite, sugar-sized Aragonite) and wasn't thrilled, but I LOVE this stuff. It's quite a fine grade, but doesn't blow around, and to me it's very natural looking. I'm sure you can buy it dry as well but I don't know where.

 

[vanmo92]

I just set up the exact same tank and I got 90 lbs of carib sea argonite.

 

[TheFlyingTang]

Try ESV for fine sand. It's about $1.00 per pound and works great.

 

[SMS76]

Are Caribsea live sand? How can they keep it alive in the bag? Have you guys find any good life in this sand?

 

[SMS76]

^^^^

 

[SMS76]

^^^^

 

[dhost]

I have read on some other sites that you can still get southdown from a landscaping co. out of Jacksonville. You may just search yahoo or google for southdown. That is what I did.
Good luck