Sand or CrushedCoral?

[vincent]

I'm still trying to decide which would be easier and keep the tank cleaner. Suggestions?

 

[boomper]

Pretty much everyone on this website will tell you sand. If you are just starting out, save yourself the trouble and get live sand right away. I am currently switching my CC to live sand. CC has to be vacuumed, and if you plan on adding Live Rock, it makes it difficult to vacuum each area effectively. CC can also trap nitrates (although I have personally never had this problem) which can lead to spikes in your levels. Additionally, Live Sand is much more natual and looks better. Definately the better choice.

 

[tizzo]

:yes:
Ditto, except I'm not "currently" changing mine...BUT I WISH I WAS!!!!!

 

[smpross]

Vincent,
I just finished my changeover this past weekend and I am thrilled. I used live sand. It took me about 3 hours. The benefits of sand over crushed coral are huge. Plus my fish seem to really prefer the sand to the CC. Go with the sand now so you do not have to worrying about changing over when you realize you made a mistake like I did.
Scott

 

[leopard_babe]

I have indo pacific sand, it looks like crushed oreo's. I love it easy to clean, and my fish love it.
IMO,
Leopard

 

[thomas712]

Most of us will not use crushed coral because it is a large substrate that traps the fish waste and uneaten food that has to be vacuumed before it creates nitrates, which it will anyway. Crushed coral does not provide a very good biological zone, and many tanks are setup with CC from the get go through lack of knowledge or because it is the only substrate that an LFS sells and tells you that it is all you need, using a selling point of CC has buffering power. I have personally battled nitrates over 100 ppm during my days of CC and UGF doing frequent large water changes. So many of us have been there and had high nitrates, did a water change to lower them and they were back in a couple of days. CC has sharp edges, which is undesirable for inverts, like anemones walking around, pods or worms. No getting around it CC is high maintenance and can lead to poor water quality, frequent maintenance, sick livestock, algae blooms and more.
Sand on the other hand has more benefits. These include having far more surface area thereby making it able to handle a higher bio load of bacteria. It is less dangerous to your infauna and has a more natural look in the tank. If going with a DSB Deep Sand Bed you can have other benefits as well like finishing the denitrification or providing sand sifting, burrowing, or tunneling fish and critters a place to play. The denitrification process predominantly occurs in deeper substrates and in areas of stagnant flow where oxygen levels are depressed. And this is why deep sand beds are effective as a nitrogen export mechanism. As water slowly diffuses deeper, aerobic organisms strip all available oxygen for respiration. In the deep, oxygen-deprived layers, denitrifying anaerobes are given the opportunity to convert nitrogen compounds into nitrogenous gases, which escape via tiny bubble out of the aquarium. I believe this process can also work on a limited basis in shallow sand beds. My sand bed is no more than 2 inches deep in some spots.
Questions?
Can you hear me now?
Thomas

 

[thomas712]

Originally posted by Leopard_babe
I have indo pacific sand, it looks like crushed oreo's. Leopard
Got a pic of that? I'd like to see it.

 

[vincent]

I was thinking of using CaribSea Aragonite Sand. I'm using it in my twelve gallon tank that will be home to a single percula clown. How deep should the sand be and is there any certain type of sand to use?

 

[thomas712]

As long as its aragonite sand it will be good. I would say no more than 2 inches or just above the black moulding at the bottom of the tank.
Thomas

 

[zap800]

i have the pink flamingo carib sea stuff in my tank. i really like it because it not only has the sand and sand chips but it has little pink rocks in it like the size of a marble. i think its really neat