Caribsea Sand

[MCAM]

Setting up a 120 Gallon, 48x24x24, and trying to decide on what sand to use. Leaning towards Caribsea Sunset Gold.

I have two Fx6's and wandering if these filters will get destroyed by the sand. Going to be a south american tank with Geophagus Red heads in it , so I know a lot of sand sifting will happen.

Thinking of using the Caribsea Peace river gravel with the sunset gold and use the peace river underneath where the intakes of the fx6's will be to try to limit how much gets sucked in. It will be mostly the sunset gold sand in the tank.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated or any experience with using this sand.

 

[tlindsey]

Setting up a 120 Gallon, 48x24x24, and trying to decide on what sand to use. Leaning towards Caribsea Sunset Gold.

I have two Fx6's and wandering if these filters will get destroyed by the sand. Going to be a south american tank with Geophagus Red heads in it , so I know a lot of sand sifting will happen.

Thinking of using the Caribsea Peace river gravel with the sunset gold and use the peace river underneath where the intakes of the fx6's will be to try to limit how much gets sucked in. It will be mostly the sunset gold sand in the tank.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated or any experience with using this sand.

I personally never used that brand of sand. My only suggestion is to shorten the intake.

 

[wednesday13]

Setting up a 120 Gallon, 48x24x24, and trying to decide on what sand to use. Leaning towards Caribsea Sunset Gold.

I have two Fx6's and wandering if these filters will get destroyed by the sand. Going to be a south american tank with Geophagus Red heads in it , so I know a lot of sand sifting will happen.

Thinking of using the Caribsea Peace river gravel with the sunset gold and use the peace river underneath where the intakes of the fx6's will be to try to limit how much gets sucked in. It will be mostly the sunset gold sand in the tank.

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated or any experience with using this sand.

knix the sand all together IMO… canisters and sand do not mix well. The peace river on its own is a perfect option and nice looking substrate. Carib sea also offers “torpedo beach” which is a very large grit that can work. Its just a hair smaller than the peace river and is white/clear colored.

most of carib seas other sands are too fine a grit. They enter the water column from ur fish and will find their way into ur impellers and pump housings. Torpedo beach will not enter the water column.

 

[duanes]

I have used sand since the early 90s, including fine Carib Sea, and I really like that type........that said......
I don't ever use canisters, I use sumps that have surface intake overflows.
Fine sand is problematic for impellers, especially where intakes are placed even remotely close to the substrate.

 

[MCAM]

Yeah really love the way sand looks but not sure it's worth the risk. Was going to put the intakes as high to combat this too but assuming it will still get in there.

I did think about Torpedo sand but not sure if I'm loving the grain size of it for sand. Also, thinking about mixing Peace River\Jungle sand together.

 

[wednesday13]

Yeah really love the way sand looks but not sure it's worth the risk. Was going to put the intakes as high to combat this too but assuming it will still get in there.

I did think about Torpedo sand but not sure if I'm loving the grain size of it for sand. Also, thinking about mixing Peace River\Jungle sand together.

Just be mindful of the grit sizes…theres lots of options out there other than torpedo beach. I also use red garnet. If u mix the peace river with a smaller grit. The smaller grit will sink to the bottom. Theres lots of blasting sands and pool filter sands that come in larger/heavier grits that dont enter the water column when stirred

 

[MCAM]

Just be mindful of the grit sizes…theres lots of options out there other than torpedo beach. I also use red garnet. If u mix the peace river with a smaller grit. The smaller grit will sink to the bottom. Theres lots of blasting sands and pool filter sands that come in larger/heavier grits that dont enter the water column when stirred

Unfortunately I don`t have any blasting sands around me so that`s a no go and not too many options in Canada. I do have pool fliter sand in one of my tanks, but it`s a pure white sand, very bright. Nothing else that would be darker sand.

I know the Sunset is 0.25mm to 1mm , Jungle River sand is a .50 to 1.5mm and peace river is 1.0 to 2.0mm. Not sure if I use a combo of these 3 if that would help and raise the intakes as far as I can to the top of the tank. I see tanks with just the Jungle and Peace which isn`t horrible but part of me still wants the sand for the Geo`s.

 

[duanes]

One other consideration with aragonite type sands, is that depending on your water chemistry, it can tint your water.
If your water is already alkaline, it can turn the water a milky white.
I was using aragonite in a fluidized bed reactor as media, and when first added, and for about a weeks thereafter, it tinted my water a kind of milky color.

Above is the reactor.
The vertical pipe sends a strong water flow into the aragonite fluidizing it, it then reacts with waste acids, neutralizing them.
Below, that same reactor unit (left) next to a fry tank, that shows the milky tint the aragonite can create.