Is this sand okay? PLEASE HELP!!

Did a quick search on that-- It looks just fine. Aragonite sand would be your best choice, as it will buffer the water to help maintain PH and calc levels, where silica sand will not. A 2-inch shallow bed is fine, as long as you add a sand-sifter or stir/vacuum regularly to keep it clean and aerated.

Cheers

 

Thanks Rhino. Im afraid I dont know what a sand filter is though. If I go with a deep sand bed in the main display do I still need the sand filter? I have heard you should vacuum your sand from some people and other people say NEVER touch it. Thats why I was leaning towards the two inch depth as I really dont know what is best. So if I shot for three inchs or so, do you ever vacuum your sand? What about when you start to get worms in it etc.? Thanks again.

 

I used this sand and am happy with it. It is very fine though and you may get some sand storms if disturbed.

 

I use the MarcoRocks sand (and rock) in my tank. It is a very fine grained sand perfect for any digging organisms and fish you may introduce to the tank. Be aware it may blow around a bit till the tank is cycled and the bacteria coat the sand and settle it to the bottom.

A 2" to 3" sand depth in the display tank is ideal, any DSB should be in a fuge or other remote container that can be seperated from the main tank if ever needed.
I do not rinse my sand when adding new sand anymore, the fine dust helps buffer the water and increase the bacterial load in the tank.

Good Luck with your project

 

A sand sifter is any critter that actively stirs the sand looking for leftover food and detritus, such as the Nassarius Snail and Sleeper Gobies.

With a shallow bed, you should have a sifter, or stir or vacuum the sand periodically to keep it clean and aerated. However, a DSB should not be disturbed. A surface cleaner, such as a Sea Cucumber, would be OK, but you never want to break the barrier between the aerobic and anaerobic regions once it's been established. That would effectively kill your denitrifying bacteria (the purpose for having a DSB).

 

Okay thanks everybody. From what I got I think I will go with about 2 inches of the sand and just keep a DSB in my refugium. I am hoping I will be able to vacuum the sand in the main aquarium from time to time. Im just goin off of what I have read else where. So hopefully its not too fine for that.