Substrate choice

[JustinC]

About ready to begin the final steps on my 150 cube. I'm trying to figure out what substrate to use. Looking to do sps, so high flo(no sugar sized sand for sure). Any recommendations?

 

[gmoney243]

Crushed coral and or aragonite love the chunkyness and all the shells etc with aragonite and crushed coral has good buffering ability and looks great

 

[orthokardia]

bare bottom all the way!! I you must have gobies then put up a contained area of special grade in the front. It will be easier to clean and keep your sandsifters where they are easier to view.

-bart

 

[JustinC]

I've been thinking about bare bottom, but I'm not sure it will look good how I am planning my aquascape. I want to try to have a real open "airy" feel. Seeing a lot of the bottom seems like it would look weird if it were bare bottom.

 

[orthokardia]

i see what you mean. what about a black substrate to give the illusion of reef peaks dropping into the deeps with steep sides? you would have to fight the urge to put corals on the sandbed.

 

[ibbennyb]

for my new tank i decided to go with seaflor special grade reef sand

Marine Aquarium Substrate: Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand

 

[JustinC]

I thought about black sand, but with some research all I found was everyone ended up hating.g the black. I'm thinking of seeing how the bare looks. I didn't think about it earlier but my stand top has counter top veneer on it so I think ill see what that looks like through the glass bottom

 

[reefrooster]

I saw the tank last night and I believe the crushed coral would be the way to go. Justin has a piece of lamanite countertop under the tank and it shows through. He has 3 mp40 power heads. So I would go with crushed coral.

 

[Dowtish]

Crushed coral will eventually trap things under it and cause nitrate issues. You can vacuum up the spots that are available, which gets old quick, and you can't vacuum under the the rocks, and this is where your problems will start. Bare bottom definitely serves it's purpose, but if you want any wrasses, gobies, blennies etc., they won't be happy. There are alot of different sands out there that will work with mp40's...just have to find the the right kind. Caribsea makes some that is a mixture of crushed aragonite and shells, but is a sand by all accounts, just not like the sugar stuff.