Finding or making a Burrower Friendly Substrate

HumanIMDB · 03/14/2008, 07:36 AM

We're having a heck of a time finding Caribsea's Super Reef substrate locally and are floored by the shipping costs when ordering it online. The only substrate we've been able to find pretty much everywhere is the Caribsea Aragamaxâ„¢ Sugar Sized Sand.

Would the addition of shells and rubble to Caribsea's Aragamaxâ„¢ Sugar Sized Sand make it "Burrower Friendly"? If so, what types of shells and what size pieces of rubble to add? Are there any other options?

Super Reef
Live Bacteria - No
Ave. Small Grain Size - 0.5 MM
Ave._Large Grain Size - 2.0 mm
Soft Belly Safe - Yes
Sifter Safe - Yes
Burrower Friendly - Yes
Undergravel Filter App. - No
Deep Sand Bed App. - Yes
Plenum System App. - No
Berlin System App. - No

Aragamaxâ„¢ Sugar Sized Sand
Live Bacteria - No
Ave. Small Grain Size - 0.1 mm
Ave._Large Grain Size - 1.0 mm
Soft Belly Safe - Yes
Sifter Safe - Yes
Burrower Friendly - No
Undergravel Filter App. - No
Deep Sand Bed App. - Yes
Plenum System App. - No
Berlin System App. - No

We still aren't 100% sure if we'll end up with burrowers on our stock list, but we have looked at Jawfish and Shrimp and Goby pairs in the past.

If you have Jawfish or Shrimp and Goby pairs, please let us know what you used.

Thanks!

sjm817 · 03/14/2008, 07:55 AM

Dr Foster Smith has very good shipping costs for heavy items.

DrBDC · 03/14/2008, 08:04 AM

I use the aragamax. I've tried the reef grade sand but I never seemed to develop good denitrification. I've only tried it on a 90 gallon. But it never developed like the sugar sized does.

I run a pretty deep sandbed on my 180 and an even deeper one on the 75. My 180 has a lot of flow and it still works very vell. It always seems that small pieces of little rocks will accumulate up along the front from the live rock. So any critters that need to line the walls with larger chunks could still collect them. My 2 pistols seem to make great tunnels.

Also, be sure to have the base of the rock down on the glass covered by the sand so that as they dig, it doesn't shift the rockwork. There are other ways of this too w/pvc structures, etc.

DrBDC · 03/14/2008, 08:05 AM

Oh and because of price and def. the shipping, I bought the sand from DFS also.

03/14/2008, 07:36 AM	#1
HumanIMDB Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Winnipeg, MB Posts: 1,556	Finding or making a Burrower Friendly Substrate We're having a heck of a time finding Caribsea's Super Reef substrate locally and are floored by the shipping costs when ordering it online. The only substrate we've been able to find pretty much everywhere is the Caribsea Aragamaxâ„¢ Sugar Sized Sand. Would the addition of shells and rubble to Caribsea's Aragamaxâ„¢ Sugar Sized Sand make it "Burrower Friendly"? If so, what types of shells and what size pieces of rubble to add? Are there any other options? Super Reef Live Bacteria - No Ave. Small Grain Size - 0.5 MM Ave._Large Grain Size - 2.0 mm Soft Belly Safe - Yes Sifter Safe - Yes Burrower Friendly - Yes Undergravel Filter App. - No Deep Sand Bed App. - Yes Plenum System App. - No Berlin System App. - No Aragamaxâ„¢ Sugar Sized Sand Live Bacteria - No Ave. Small Grain Size - 0.1 mm Ave._Large Grain Size - 1.0 mm Soft Belly Safe - Yes Sifter Safe - Yes Burrower Friendly - No Undergravel Filter App. - No Deep Sand Bed App. - Yes Plenum System App. - No Berlin System App. - No We still aren't 100% sure if we'll end up with burrowers on our stock list, but we have looked at Jawfish and Shrimp and Goby pairs in the past. If you have Jawfish or Shrimp and Goby pairs, please let us know what you used. Thanks! __________________ Chris Rivers Will do computer support for frags. :) Click on the Red House to see our AGA92 Corner Reef Tank Build thread. Current Tank Info: 10 Gal (Aqualight 96W Quad 50/50, AquaClear Power Filter 70 with Chaeto lit by 6500K Bulb, AquaClear Power Head 20, 50w Tronic Heater), 92 Gal All-Glass Corner (Cycling)

03/14/2008, 07:55 AM	#2
sjm817 On Yer left! Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Northern VA Posts: 18,777	Dr Foster Smith has very good shipping costs for heavy items. __________________ - Scott

03/14/2008, 08:04 AM	#3
DrBDC Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ballwin, Missouri Posts: 10,358	I use the aragamax. I've tried the reef grade sand but I never seemed to develop good denitrification. I've only tried it on a 90 gallon. But it never developed like the sugar sized does. I run a pretty deep sandbed on my 180 and an even deeper one on the 75. My 180 has a lot of flow and it still works very vell. It always seems that small pieces of little rocks will accumulate up along the front from the live rock. So any critters that need to line the walls with larger chunks could still collect them. My 2 pistols seem to make great tunnels. Also, be sure to have the base of the rock down on the glass covered by the sand so that as they dig, it doesn't shift the rockwork. There are other ways of this too w/pvc structures, etc. __________________ Some drink at the fountain of knowledge, some just gargle, but most are rabid. Current Tank Info: 180g sps+75 softy/lps on one system tunze's, seio's, mjmods, aquacontroller w/add ons, 2X400 XM10000 and 3X160 vho actinic, 110g sump, 110 frag tank, Geo Beckett and other stuff

03/14/2008, 08:05 AM	#4
DrBDC Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Ballwin, Missouri Posts: 10,358	Oh and because of price and def. the shipping, I bought the sand from DFS also. __________________ Some drink at the fountain of knowledge, some just gargle, but most are rabid. Current Tank Info: 180g sps+75 softy/lps on one system tunze's, seio's, mjmods, aquacontroller w/add ons, 2X400 XM10000 and 3X160 vho actinic, 110g sump, 110 frag tank, Geo Beckett and other stuff