I'm not a big fan of the little pebble stuff, so I wouldn't want to do peace river, but if Torpedo beach is heavy enough, my intake tubes are about 3 inches above the bottom, and if i only use 1/2 inch of sand I should be good, I don't want too much but just enough for them to cover themselves if they needUnlike regular (small grain) sand yes… rinse it well and dump it right in. Ive added rinsed bags with fish in the tank no problem. Being heavy grain the torpedo beach does not cloud the tank or enter the water column. Its heavy enough to settle when being sifted or stirred. If ur running fx5’s the carib sea “peace river” might be ever better for ya. Tad heavier than the torpedo beach and wont get sucked into ur pumps but its still smooth and small enough for the rays to dig into if they wish.