Sand Options ?

[Polyp Punk]

Hey reefers,
For my 15 gallon peninsula nano I need to pick a substrate. My old 75 gallon tank I went with dry aragonite and i was not too happy about it. The grain size was too big for my taste. I am now looking at the Aragalive Bahama Oolite sand. Is the grain on this sand too small? Anyone have any favorites out there or know anything better than the carib sea Aragalive? Thanks !

 

[SparklesMcgraw]

Hey reefers,
For my 15 gallon peninsula nano I need to pick a substrate. My old 75 gallon tank I went with dry aragonite and i was not too happy about it. The grain size was too big for my taste. I am now looking at the Aragalive Bahama Oolite sand. Is the grain on this sand too small? Anyone have any favorites out there or know anything better than the carib sea Aragalive? Thanks !

If you have strong flow I’d say it’s too small. It does firm up over time but takes a while.

 

[Polyp Punk]

If you have strong flow I’d say it’s too small. It does firm up over time but takes a while.

I might go Fiji pink or Bahamas oolite not too sure yet!

 

[Ckane2]

Look into caribsea’s special grade reef sand, it’s supposed to be not too large of grain size but not small enough to get blown around. I wouldn’t do oolite ever again, it blew all over

 

[Jeffcb]

I like and use Fiji pink. It settles down after a while with high flow.

 

[CK00020]

I like the tropic eden brand, they make a bunch of different sizes

 

[Polyp Punk]

Look into caribsea’s special grade reef sand, it’s supposed to be not too large of grain size but not small enough to get blown around. I wouldn’t do oolite ever again, it blew all over

i know i really love the way oolite looks but very nervous itll be a pain.. Does fiji pink look similar to bahama oolite grain wise ?

 

[Polyp Punk]

I like the tropic eden brand, they make a bunch of different sizes

are they well known and do they have live sand like carib sea? link ?

 

[waverider]

I started my 65 gallon reef with Bahama Oolote CaribSea Sand. When I noticed how fine it was I added 40 lbs of Carib Sea Ocean Direct, then another 20 lbs of Fiji Pink. But that Oolite is waaaay to fine if you plan any kind of flow -especially considering your running a 15 gallon. You will have endless sandstorms. Gobies and sand sifters do great in CaribSea special grade. I once had a chat with the guys at Bulk Reef Supply -Special Grade is their best selling sand, and for a reason. -For the record, in my 65 gallon the 20/40/20 mix of Oolite/Ocean Direct/Fiji Pink is working great. Just I wouldnt put a fine sand is such a small tank. -my 2 cents.

 

[Polyp Punk]

I started my 65 gallon reef with Bahama Oolote CaribSea Sand. When I noticed how fine it was I added 40 lbs of Carib Sea Ocean Direct, then another 20 lbs of Fiji Pink. But that Oolite is waaaay to fine if you plan any kind of flow -especially considering your running a 15 gallon. You will have endless sandstorms. Gobies and sand sifters do great in CaribSea special grade. I once had a chat with the guys at Bulk Reef Supply -Special Grade is their best selling sand, and for a reason. -For the record, in my 65 gallon the 20/40/20 mix of Oolite/Ocean Direct/Fiji Pink is working great. Just I wouldnt put a fine sand is such a small tank. -my 2 cents.

what about fiji pink can i get away with it? i like the look of finer sand but dont want the pain that oolite gives

 

[[Cameron]]

Oolite looks great but is a pain and you couldn't pay me to run it in a mixed reef or SPS tank. Fiji Pink is "rockier" but just barely and is smallest I would go. I ran Fiji Pink for a while and I liked it but Special Grade is my favorite these days.

 

[waverider]

what about fiji pink can i get away with it? i like the look of finer sand but dont want the pain that oolite gives

In a much larger, deeper tank where you can have "Flow" without disturbing the sediment, yea. But in that Nano... No. No No. The minute you put any flow on that fine sand will be all over. Fiji Pink is a mix of very fine to medium. You are better off with something medium like "Special Grade". -Better think hard on this and make the right decision, because there is no worse setback for a system than to rip the sand bed out and start over!

 

[Polyp Punk]

Oolite looks great but is a pain and you couldn't pay me to run it in a mixed reef or SPS tank. Fiji Pink is "rockier" but just barely and is smallest I would go. I ran Fiji Pink for a while and I liked it but Special Grade is my favorite these days.

does special grade look too "rocky"... i had aragonite on my last 75 gallon and i wasnt a fan between the "rocky" look it gave and the detritis build up on the sand bed because of how big the grain size was..

 

[Polyp Punk]

i guess im looking for more of a whiter sand bed color which is why i like the oolite... what is the color of the special grade that looks like the choice for me if its white enough lol fiji pink is the runner up

 

[codycolina707]

i guess im looking for more of a whiter sand bed color which is why i like the oolite... what is the color of the special grade that looks like the choice for me if its white enough lol fiji pink is the runner up

i would mix the stuff you already have with fiji pink kinda what i did with my new tank my first one was 100% fiji pink you will have some sand storms for a few months until all the really fine stuff is gone

 

[CK00020]

You have to get tropic eden from premium aquatics, I feel it’s graded better for more consistent size, than caribsea.

 

[Polyp Punk]

i would mix the stuff you already have with fiji pink kinda what i did with my new tank my first one was 100% fiji pink you will have some sand storms for a few months until all the really fine stuff is gone

Interesting so the cloudyness goes away after a while with the fiji pink ? im stuck on the fence with this one... the special grade grain size is a little to big for my taste almost like my other tank...

 

[burningmime]

i would mix the stuff you already have with fiji pink kinda what i did with my new tank my first one was 100% fiji pink you will have some sand storms for a few months until all the really fine stuff is gone

My experience with mixing sand is that it pretty quickly separates if there's any flow to it. So I had sections of crushed coral and sections of sand within a few days. The fine stuff may eventually drift to the low flow areas (behind/under rocks) or be caught up in your filter socks.

 

[stylolvr]

I might go Fiji pink or Bahamas oolite not too sure yet!

I've got a Nero3 running a random cycle at 50% with Fiji pink and it doesn't get blown around really at all.

 

[Polyp Punk]

I've got a Nero3 running a random cycle at 50% with Fiji pink and it doesn't get blown around really at all.

yea i have decided im going fiji pink ! I dont like the style of the big grain sizes and much harder to keep clean like my last tank with aragonite !