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LilReef

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Nov 25, 2010
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Is sugar fine sand good or bad? I have 30 lbs of sand that I keep going back and forth about putting in my tank. Right now I have crushed coral in the tank that I siphon weekly.
I had the same kind of sand years ago in the tank and it got Bad purple/black algae on it and I don't want the same thing to happen this time around because it was awful to look at. How do you keep the sand nice and white? I want it to look as if it were just put in the tank months from now.
 
The smaller the grains of sand the easier it blows around. So if you ever drop something on the sandbed, move your hands around near the sandbed, have a sandsifting fish/invert, all that sand will end up in the water column and blow all over.

Some people really like the look of the sugar sand over other sand though.
 
The Sand is called Nature's Ocean it's all natural sand from and packaged in Florida. If I get a sand sifting fish/ invert will it bother the life in the Sand? I like the little scooter blenny's will they work to keep sand moving? I've been told that Scooter Blenny's don't live long only a few months. What are some sand sifting fish?
 
I like sugar-sized sand myself. Looks nicer but hate the sandstorms due to powerheads. Its all preference and the look of your tank that you're trying to achieve.
 
this is my opinion on the fish .
If you like clear water dont get any of them i had a dymon goby goby and stir up my sand all day so i had a hard time keeping my water clear .
sand i love the sugar type of sand . i love the clean look of it .
:2cents:
 
montiporalova said:
this is my opinion on the fish .
If you like clear water dont get any of them i had a dymon goby goby and stir up my sand all day so i had a hard time keeping my water clear .
sand i love the sugar type of sand . i love the clean look of it .
:2cents:
Click to expand...

It also comes down to how that fish feels, haha. The same goby that was sand-storming for Pete and causing such problems never caused any troubles in my tank, and I think my sand wasn't too much larger-grained than his.

I personally love the sugar-sized grain look myself, and mostly it seems it takes some adjusting of powerheads/returns and sometimes rockwork to ensure you're not having it all swept off the bottom and either blown into the WC or piled in some corner. It does seem easier to accomplish in a larger tank. In my 12 I have more coarse sand, and it is certainly easier to keep in one place.
 
It depends on what your looking to get out of it, If you aren't added enough lbs to create a deep sandbed there really isn't any advantage and actually can be a disadvantage if you have been siphoning and then have to stop becuase it's too fine. Changes are nutrients levels are going to go up as a result of no longer siphoning.
 
So would 30 lbs be enough to make a deep sand bed in my tank or do I need more sand? How deep do I need it to be?
 
What size tank? The most likely answer is 'no', as most folks consider a deep sand bed system to by 4+ (some 6+) inches.
 
in another thread it looked as if your system was already set up with fish? so i dont know how youd go about adding the sand at this point...
 
It is set up with fish and live rocks and has been running for about 3 years now. I was recently told to get rid of the crushed coral by a lps and put sand in. So I Purchased 30 lbs of sand. I have not put it in the tank yet. I thought of taking the sand back to the store,I'm not sure. I was told the Coral was the worst thing I could have put in my tank.
 
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This LFS may be lurking around here so I won't mention any names.
 
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I'm not a fan of crushed coral. Sand stays whiter. I have also found if crushed coral isn't sufficiently siphoned it could turn into a nitrate factory. I know some people love CC not knocking it. Just get alot of complaints that its hard to keep white and clean.
 
CC is very hard to keep clean. How do you keep sand nice and white?
 
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