[Whalen] - Hello Reefers, this is Whalen from Marine Depot,
and today we're gonna dig into the topic of sand.
(upbeat guitar music)
[Whalen] - One of the most common questions we get is
"Should I go with a bare bottom tank, or have a sand bed?"
Although it's not for everyone, some reefers really prefer
bare bottom tanks, as they're much easier
to clean and maintain.
By removing substrate, contaminants are far more likely
to stay in the water column, where it is removed
by a mechanical filtration.
Anything that does not settle can easily
be siphoned out as well.
Just like with your other bare glass surfaces,
algae will accumulate over time,
and the bottom will need to be scraped clean.
Despite its benefits, bare bottom tanks
just don't appeal to everyone.
In the early days of reef keeping,
everyone used chunky Dolomite Gravel.
It didn't look natural, but it was the only
marine substrate available in the hobby at that time.
Thankfully, over the years,
manufacturers recognized the demand
for much more natural looking marine sands.
Now, we have many more options
than most of us know what to do with.
Many people prefer to go with a sandy bottom
for their tanks, as it adds a new dimension,
and makes it much more reminiscent
of the actual ocean floor.
However, most first time aquarist overlook
the live sand aspect of these substrates.
Similar to live rock, sand grains can host
a variety of marine life, including bacteria.
These microscopic organisms are what makes a sand live.
For a long time, it was thought that a tank's population
of beneficial bacteria were only housed
in and on the live rock.
After all, that is where the nitrification and
denitrification took place.
A recent study by the Max Planck Institute,
actually revealed that a single grain of sand
can be home to over 100,000 microorganisms,
much more than previously believed.
Although the surface of the sand bed
is constantly scrubbed free of microbes,
the cracks and crevices just beneath the surface
are home to a diverse population of bacteria
that filter your tank invisibly.
As your tank matures, your sand will mature, too,
by developing a unique mix of microbes.
These microbes are capable of recycling nutrients
such as carbon, phosphorous, and nitrogen.
Live sand will also support tiny inverts
that will sift through the sand,
looking to make a meal of them.
If you want to create your live sand bed,
there's a wide variety of sands to choose from.
Here are some basics that you may need to know,
when making a choice.
Marine sand comes in two forms, dry and live.
Dry sand is simply natural aragonite substrate
that is screened to a specific size.
CaribSea's Aragamax sugar sized sand
comes in a particle range of 0.25 to one millimeter.
The fine sand creates a silky smooth substrate;
perfect for sand sifting gobies and crabs.
Keep in mind that strong water flow
will probably resuspend the fine sand particles.
Strong currents can push the sand around,
eventually exposing the glass bottom of the aquarium.
Therefore, fine sand is best used in tanks
with lower flow rates.
Aragamax Select is screened
to 0.5 to one millimeter in size.
It's a little larger than sugar sand,
but it can still be sifted by gobies,
and is a bit less prone to be blown around.
For most reef tanks with strong water flow,
we recommend CaribSea's Special Grade reef sand.
The one to two millimeter particle size
creates a nice look in the tank,
and won't resuspend like finer sands.
This reef sand will stay put,
and unlike fine sands,
it won't grind in the bearings of your flow pumps.
You could even blend in a large grade substrate
like Aruba Puka Shell, if that's the look you want.
Jawfish and blennies like to use a shell
as they construct hiding areas.
Live sand products are simply just
your standard dry sand,
that has been saturated with bacteria culture.
The idea is to add bacteria to
help jump start the bio filtration,
rather than letting it grow slowly on its own.
Aragalive comes in a variety of sizes and colors,
like Fiji pink, Hawaiian black,
and traditional white aragonite.
CaribSea's Ocean Direct line of sand comes damp,
in a special breathable bag.
Each sand grain is coated with its original bacteria.
The damp, live sand can breathe through
a thin layer of water that surrounds each particle of sand.
CaribSea says Ocean Direct sand contains
up to 1,000 times more live bacteria than other
sand preservation methods.
Ocean Direct is available as a fine oolite sand,
or an original grain that ranges
from 0.25 to 6.5 millimeters.
Once you select a particle size and color,
it's time to calculate how much sand you will actually need.
We've made it easy.
Just use our sand bed calculator, linked in the cards.
All you have to do,
is plug in the length and width of your tank.
The calculator has many options including curved,
hex, and custom aquariums.
The final step is to select
the density of the sand you want to use.
Now hit the calculate button,
and see how much sand you'll need; it's that simple.
When placing live rock, it is often best
to set it directly on the bottom of the tank on the glass,
and add the sand afterwards.
Doing this prevents the rocks from shifting,
as the sand gets excavated by fish and inverts.
Before adding dry sand to your tank,
it is really best to first rinse it off.
A quick rinse will remove a lot of the dust
that will cloud your tank for days.
On the other hand, live sand should not be washed,
as it will remove the beneficial bacteria,
and you'll be back to square one.
After adding live sand, your water will cloud up.
CaribSea thankfully includes water clarifiers
that will bind the extra dust,
and make it easier for your filtration to remove it.
The main thing to prevent is
organic debris from collecting in the sand.
A neglected sand bed will release
algae promoting nutrients into the water.
A few crabs, snails, and sifting fish
will regularly stir the sand, and help keep it clean.
You could also use a gravel siphon
to carefully stir the sand, and siphon out the debris.
Having a natural looking sand bed
does require a bit more maintenance than a bare bottom tank.
But it also creates a look that you just can't beat.
That's it for today.
Thanks for tuning in,
and let's build a better aquarium together.
(upbeat guitar music)
(humming)