Best Sand and Why?

Roboson · May 18, 2016

I'm looking to get sand for my new 36g bowfront and I was reading that some sand is too big for sand shifters like gobies. But I also read that some is too fine and blows around the tank too much. So I was wondering your all's opinion on which sand is the best and why?

*I have some crushed coral sand mix that's been living in my nano for 8 or so months. So for me, the sand doesn't necessarily have to be live sand.

brandon429 · May 18, 2016

Fiji pink is the best imo, or ocean direct, or reef flakes. The former have a 20+ yr history in the hobby, well documented in thousands of tank threads.

You will see in these surveys people blaming all kinds of problems on the sand brand chosen, but its really just tank care practices that cause all the diatoms, cyano etc, its not a brand of sand (says the 20 yr history of successful threads lol)

I think we should massively rinse before use any sand we buy, so there is no silt, then that clouding you mention really drops. I myself have only used Fiji pink and ocean direct since 2001...I care for my tanks well, so there is no enduring problems from using them. If I left my tank untouched and full of waste two years, there would predictably be problems with any brand used.

kschweer · May 18, 2016

I have always used Fiji pink or carbisea sea floor special grade. I like the special grade a bit more. It's a little bigger grain and seems to stay in place better than most.

brandon429 · May 18, 2016

a Fiji pink hater (waste storer) w post in 3...2...

Roboson · May 18, 2016

Does the Fiji pink move around a lot? It seems to be the smallest size out there.

brandon429 · May 18, 2016

I don't have any wrasses or stirrers so going just off my water changes I vote no it doesn't, but mine is pre rinsed. non rinsing rules the day in our hobby, and causes tons of headaches including lumping certain sands into 'cloudy' but in reality it was their silt that could have been easily rinsed out. I bet someone with a high flow reef w chime in to see if FP is ok

I think its the fine oolitic sands you'd have an issue with. My reef is not high flow, so ill defer to someone with a normal tank to see how well it stays put, the FP.

Roboson · May 19, 2016

I was looking at a bunch of different types of sand on Amazon Prime (which gives me free shipping on certain products), but I couldn't find one that really seemed the best to me.

I think I want a fine grain .5-2 mm sand that's as white as can be, but that seems impossible to find. Everything is either to big, too small (oolite) or has huuuuuge chunks in it.