Time Sensitive Issue - Aragonite White Oolitic?

[FirstContact]

Taking everything out of my tank. Drilling the drains larger.

Replace sand?

I have quartz sand from NCs beaches. Now would be the time to replace it.

Need a 3”-4” deep sand bed for my wrasses.

What are the choices for white oolitic or do I call it a day and go with seafloor special grade reef?

As always cost can be an issue for that much sand.

 

[Flippers4pups]

it's always advisable to not use beach sand as you have no way of knowing what's in it.

Aragonite special grade is a good choice.

 

[link81]

how old is the sand?

 

[lilgrounchuck]

If you're not planning on having much flow oolite might be ok. I you have a mixed reef you're probably better off with the special grade. I used white oolite on my tank and wouldn't use it again unless I had very little flow. It blows around way too much. Even my goby sends it flying all over as he pushes it through his gills. I'm moving my tank in about a month or so and will be switching over to special grade or the regular caribsea aragonite stuff so it stays on the bottom of the tank where it belongs.

 

[brandon429]

from the sand rinse thread here are highlights:

replacing or cleaning your current bed is always good, it removes cloudy waste.

pre rinse your new sand with tap water to total clarity, then RO as the final rinse, before use.

removing your sand and replacing it does not leave the tank lacking bacteria, the rocks carry enough.


****when you set back up with new sand, re acclimate your lights dont run full normal lighting. whether you keep current sand or buy new, rinse it first to total clarity, tap does not harm anything since sandbed bacteria are in excess of what's needed to reef. cloudy waste is the risk.

 

[link81]

i have oolite and 3 MP10's in a 40B. yeah, the sand moves. but i'm fine with it. i don't keep corals in the moving part of the sand bed anyway, keeps the shrimps and gobies busy constantly cleaning out their holes.

 

[Miller535]

I will NEVER have oolite again. It is horrible and ends up everywhere even at low flow, clogging filters faster.

Special Grade is just fine for Wrasse's.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I will NEVER have oolite again. It is horrible and ends up everywhere even as low flow, clogging filters faster.

Special Grade is just fine for Wrasse's.

I second this. I have several wrasses and special grade works well. Oolite looks cool, but not in a high flow reef. My experiences with it came to hate it very quickly.

 

[FirstContact]

Great posts. Thank you.

The beach sand is about 4 years old. I stir it all the time. It’s worked great, but I’m doing corals again. The rocks are on rods not the sand bed.

I actually like the shifting sand like in the ocean, it makes patterns. I think the movement is good to prevent detritus build up.

Based on this post if there are more suggestions, please post.

 

[Miller535]

Great posts. Thank you.

The beach sand is about 4 years old. I stir it all the time. It’s worked great, but I’m doing corals again. The rocks are on rods not the sand bed.

I actually like the shifting sand like in the ocean, it makes patterns. I think the movement is good to prevent detritus build up.

Based on this post if there are more suggestions, please post.

That stirring is pretty annoying when it's covering your corals. And a bigger grain sand like special grade allows to have more flow to not allow detritus to sit on the bottom as much. With oolite sand is everywhere, and a lot of the detritus is getting buried under the sand the keeps blowing around. But to each their own.

 

[FirstContact]

Ok, thanks. I do appreciate the input.

 

[lilgrounchuck]

I will NEVER have oolite again. It is horrible and ends up everywhere even as low flow, clogging filters faster.

Special Grade is just fine for Wrasse's.

Second on the filter issue. When I was still running a sump I HAD to use filter socks to keep the sand from gunking up my return pump.

Great posts. Thank you.

The beach sand is about 4 years old. I stir it all the time. It’s worked great, but I’m doing corals again. The rocks are on rods not the sand bed.

I actually like the shifting sand like in the ocean, it makes patterns. I think the movement is good to prevent detritus build up.

Based on this post if there are more suggestions, please post.

its not shifting that’s a problem with oolite, it’s that it can stay suspended in the water column depending on flow and bottom dweller activity. It’s annoying having to constantly blow it off corals, clean it out of the filter, and when I ran a sump it was always in there. I’ve had my tank up for a year and over that time I’ve sucked a good portion of it out during water changes, and most was by accident just trying to keep it clean. What’s mostly left is the bit of crushed coral I mixed it with.

 

[fermentedhiker]

If cost is an issue you can use pool filter sand as a clean alternative to your quartz beach sand and mix in however much reef sand fits in your budget.

 

[Shorething]

My diamond goby keeps my sand spotless