Remove my Caribsea Tahitian Moon Sand

[CrAzYNeSs]

I have been debating this for a while now.... I have about 180 lbs of this stuff in my 240G tank @ 1" depth.

The rays like the bury themselves in it when I startle them but lately I have been thinking about removing it for two reasons.

1) Bare bottom seems to be more sanitary because (bad) bacteria does not inhabit it. Also allows more flow in the tank because filter return nozzles can be directed downwards to increase flow in the tank. This can not be done in a tank with sand substrate without risk of the filters taking in sand.

2) I was looking at Caribsea's website and it clearly states that this substrate is NOT suited for soft bellied aquarium inhabitants.

The argument seems pretty biased but I have yet to see a benefit to keeping the substrate besides its added aesthetic value. To remove or not to remove?

What is the best way to REMOVE this volume of sand? This is going to prove to be a huge headache. ANY ideas from past experience would be greatly appreciated.

Best,
Jeff

 

[sharp tooth]

ide take it out and use something else.

i had a tiled tank, i loved the look and it was spot on. i had a problem and the rays sufferd. they had no were to hide which made it worse. adding sand back into my tank helped my rays recover.

i am now a strong believer they need substrate.

but what ever, get that sand out its not good for rays if it says that on the website.

 

[CrAzYNeSs]

ide take it out and use something else.

i had a tiled tank, i loved the look and it was spot on. i had a problem and the rays sufferd. they had no were to hide which made it worse. adding sand back into my tank helped my rays recover.

i am now a strong believer they need substrate.

but what ever, get that sand out its not good for rays if it says that on the website.

What type/brand of substrate are you using now? It looks great in your avatar.

 

[Chromobotia]

I called Caribesea when I was researching my substrate. I wanted something that I could eventually use with sting rays. I asked the rep at the company why they listed the Tahitian Moon Sand on the website as not sting ray compatible since the grain size listed looks like it would be suitable. The rep told me that you could use it with sting rays and the reason they say it isn't compatible is becasue they feel they have other products that are better for sting rays than the Moon Sand.

If your main reason for switching substrates is becasue of what Caribesea has listed on their website, I would recommend calling the company before you remove it from the tank. Just an FYI, I ended up ordering Peace River.

 

[sharp tooth]

What type/brand of substrate are you using now? It looks great in your avatar.

my avatar pic is when it was tiled. it looked loads better but i feel is isnt as good for rays as haveing substrate so now i use BD trading sand which dosent look great but its alot better for my rays.

the sand you are useing looks sharp in the pic you posted. i wouldent use it with rays.

 

[T1KARMANN]

2 threads same topic read my post in your other thread

 

[PinkLady]

Get that stuff out of there. I switched to this sand, and it tore up my ray's disc, started an infection, made her stop eating, and despite all efforts, she passed away. The grain size LOOKS suitable, and to the touch it feels soft, but when you actually push your hand down into it hard as a ray does when digging/burying, it's really rough and cuts your skin.

The sand I switched to is intended for saltwater since my ray was a brackish ray, so it wouldn't work for your purposes. Prior to the rough black stuff, I used CaribSea aragonite sand. It was really fluffy my female ray loved it, but she often kicked it up into the filter intakes and I had to constantly clean them out.

 

[CrAzYNeSs]

Get that stuff out of there. I switched to this sand, and it tore up my ray's disc, started an infection, made her stop eating, and despite all efforts, she passed away. The grain size LOOKS suitable, and to the touch it feels soft, but when you actually push your hand down into it hard as a ray does when digging/burying, it's really rough and cuts your skin.

The sand I switched to is intended for saltwater since my ray was a brackish ray, so it wouldn't work for your purposes. Prior to the rough black stuff, I used CaribSea aragonite sand. It was really fluffy my female ray loved it, but she often kicked it up into the filter intakes and I had to constantly clean them out.

I actually got punctured by a grain when I was washing it, prior to putting it into my tank..... It was like a splinter, but a black piece of rock stun in my index finger...

That should of been my first clue.

 

[spotfin]

I use Estes Ultra reef sand, and believe rays do better on a substrate instead of bare bottom. You won't need an inch of sand, 1/2 inch will work. If you do remove the Black Moon sand, use a vinyl hose and syphon it out when performing water changes.

You don't have to remove it all at once. Once established, the sand will contain lots of beneficial bacteria. Removing it all at once can upset your system.

 

[CrAzYNeSs]

I use Estes Ultra reef sand, and believe rays do better on a substrate instead of bare bottom. You won't need an inch of sand, 1/2 inch will work. If you do remove the Black Moon sand, use a vinyl hose and syphon it out when performing water changes.

You don't have to remove it all at once. Once established, the sand will contain lots of beneficial bacteria. Removing it all at once can upset your system.

Removed it completely yesterday.... but I used Stability to basically "re-cycle" the tank.