[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)
