Substrate decision

[tbittner]

Please take a look at the following substrates and give me your opinion as to what you would use and why. I want to eventually get one or two Bluespot Jawfish so please take that into consideration. This is for my 450g 120x24x36 and I'm going to have a closed loop running on this tank with between 8,000 and 13,000 gph flow. I figured I'm going to need around 600 pounds of the sand of choice.

Aragamax Aquarium Sand
I've heard some bad things about this sand. With really good circulation, this sand won't settle.


Seaflor Special Grade Reef Sand
It's more expensive but it's thicker grained.

Marine Substrates: Ocean Direct Caribbean Live Sand at Drs. Foster & Smith
Least expensive and it does look nice. Thicker grained.

Marine Reef Aquarium Substrates: Arag-Alive
Either the Fuji Pink or the Special Grade.

[pbittner]

Not knowing enough about this......I like the Carribean sand and the Fiji Pink - although the Fiji pink looks really fine like the Aragamax???? Maybe it's just my eyes!

[Royalscott]

I love the Fiji pink and Scott has it in his tank because that is what the LFS told us to get LOL! Its not super fine like it looks, though definitely finer than the special grade, which looks too big to me.

[Octoman]

Terry, this is just my personal opinion, but I don't think the "live sand" is worth it. Your live rock will have all of the bacterial spores you need to seed the sandbed. There is nothing else alive in that "live sand" other than bacteria, so you don't get the benefits of worms, pods, and such anyway. For that stuff, you'd be best getting some sand from another reefer to seed your bed.

Also the cost is substantially more, 20# of dry sand is a lot more sand than 20# with water, you have to subtract the weight of the water which means you get much less than 20#'s...

I say go for the Seafloor special grade.

[prow]

out of those i like the Aragamax Aquarium Sand. that size you listed is sugar grain size 0.2-1.22mm, you might want to check out CaribSea oolitic sand. its also aragamax but comes in grain size 0.5-1.02mm. it does not have the smaller grians (0.2mm opposed to 0.5mm) does not go as big either but not having the small grains, IME, really helps keep it from gettting blown all over. so i vote other; Aragamax Oolitic sand.

[tbittner]

Mark, after checking around at different places, shipping KILLS me except for DFS so I'm really confined to what they have available. I realize that with a 20 lb bag of live sand, 5 lbs of it would be water. I really don't care if it's "live" or not and I'm not buying it because of that. I'm really after looks, and to give a couple BSJF a nice sand to burrow in.

Prow, I agree, that would be the sand that I would go after, but DFS doesn't have it. You know, after checking other places and seeing the shipping charges of $300+ maybe I will stop at our LFS and see what their price per bag is. I checked and they do carry that sand. Even if it's $5 more per bag, it would still be cheaper and I would get what I would really like.

I haven't made a decision yet and I'm hoping someone who is really familiar with the BSJF will weigh in on this and offer some advice.

[lcstorc]

With a bluespot I would go as fine as possoble amg give him lots of rubble and shells to support the burrow

[tbittner]

That's what I was thinking but then I started wondering about whether super fine sand wouldn't just collapse on it before it was able to shore up the sides/roof.

[prow]

it sounds like the Oolitic is the way to go. not as fine as sugar size but not as corase either. you could always go with it and add a couple bags of others to give the BSJF something to play with. no dout shipping is something to look into. have you tried to look into a special rate. maybe call reefgeek or other to see if they can do something to help with the shipping? its a thought anyway.

[tbittner]

I haven't done that Prow and you're right, I should. I don't know how DFS does it but shipping 600 lbs of sand cost's $17.99.

Yes, there is a decimal point in there between the 7 and the 9 so shipping costs seventeen dollars and ninty nine cents.

[Octoman]

Originally Posted by tbittner

I really don't care if it's "live" or not and I'm not buying it because of that. I'm really after looks, and to give a couple BSJF a nice sand to burrow in.

Gotcha! I found this on another website referring to the Ocean Direct aragonite...

Particle Chart:
Particles Larger than 6.35 mm 1% by Weight
Particles Larger than 2.36 mm 4% by Weight
Particles Larger than 2.00 mm 2% by Weight
Particles Larger than 1.00 mm 16% by Weight
Particles Larger than 0.6 mm 31% by Weight
Particles Smaller than 0.6 mm 46% by Weightt

[prow]

ahh cool. its like the deal they have with IO/RC salt shipping rates. geuss thats what happens when your one of, if not, the biggest pet retailer around. at least they pass the saving on to us. goto loce DFS. not sure if they have it listed or not but if not i bet they do have Oolitic or can get it for you no prob.

[tbittner]

Yeah, I played with adding these different sands to my cart and I even added in 4 160g buckets of IO/RC salt mix, plus some coral food, shipping for everything was still $17.99.

[tbittner]

After reading this it looks like the fine sand would be fine for a BSJF but I'll need to bust up some LR to provide small pieces of rubble for it. It also says to have at least a 6" sand bed. I would imagine that I could provide half the tank with an 8" sand bed and the other half with a 2" sand bed.

I'll ask DFS if they can get the Aragamax Oolitic sand.

[naperenterprise]

Hey Terry,

I've been buying sand from these folks on ebay Mariculture

I've been very satisfied with everything.
Very white, sugar size, and the price is right.

I just ordered another 300 pounds myself a few days ago...

I'd send them a message asking for a price quote on XX amount of sand and to include shipping.
Very reasonable.