Need Advice on Substrate

Whats the best substrate for an sps tank? Im setting up a 90 gallon sps dominated. Currently i have a 55gal mixed reef with Natures Ocianic bio-active live sand. Since there will be a lot more water movement in the 90, is there a better choice?

 

a thin layer of sugar grained argonite is always good.

 

I'd go with something other than sugar grained. Not to contradict sostoudt, but the goal of an SPS tank is massive flow ... and sugar grain will be all over the place if you get good turnover.

I'd personally go with something coarser than sugar, but again, thats a personal opinion

 

+1 on using a larger grain if your set on SPS

I had fine 1.5mm argonite in my reef prior to going for SPS and when I increased the flow, I soon had expossed areas on the glass base - SSB of less than 1 inch hence very quickly down to the base

I swapped my tank a few months later so discarded the sand bed as is often the case when swapping tanks and at that time went for some 3mm grade stuff (IIRC) and that stayed where I put it


Steve

 

i guess it depends on your tank, I have a sps set up thats pretty tall(since its a bowfront) compared to other tanks, It has alot of flow near the middle with very little near the bottom, my sugar size argonite is working fine. Personally i go with sugar sized so algae doesn't grow on my sand, it stays nice and white.

my clowns screw up the sand more then the powerheads

 

Of course, you could use whatever you want and top it with rubble to keep it in place... it all depends on what you want from your substrate. Do you want a DSB for denitrification? or a Live DSB for plankton production? Or do you just want something "pretty" under your rocks?

 

well i was looking for something that looks good as well as gives me the benefits of having live sand. I came across these two, which is a better option? or are there other options?

CaribSea Dry Aragonite Special Grade Reef Sand

Caribsea Arag-Alive Special Grade Reef Sand

 

I have the live reef sand/crushed coral in my tank... My fish seem to like it. The trigger picks it up and moves it all the time. makes his own little hide away spots...

cons are the the maintenance. people complain that loose food and waste can get in the cracks, but its proven safe for me.

 

+1

People complain and blame their sand bed instead of themselves for not researching and setting it up properly to meet their needs, and that's exactly where all the mythinformation starts. One needs to decide what they want from their substrate, then research and set it up accordingly instead of going with "popular opinions". What works for me might not suit anyone else, but it still works for me. Bottom line is that your substrate is one of the most important parts of your system. You have to get it right to get what you want out of it.

 

Caribsea Arag-Alive is exactly what I have for a Live DSB in my sump. Works a charm for denitrification and plankton production. It can be used in the DT, but you will not be able to have sand-sifters which actively feed on the micro-critters that make it "live". Otherwise, you might as well save a few bucks and go with dry sand.