CaribSea Special Grade Reef Sand - Opinions

banzai75x · 04/27/2011, 11:56 AM

Does anyone have any opinions on this? Can anyone tell me how many 40lbs bag I might need for a 48x24 tank to make a 2-3" sandbed?

Sand

eho72 · 04/27/2011, 12:25 PM

That's the best sand I've used. You need 3 bags of the 40 lbs size. Rinse well before you put it in.

Toddrtrex · 04/27/2011, 12:37 PM

Love that sand, all 3 of my tanks have it.

It will be 2-3 bags of sand -- start with 2 and see where you are at. And I agree, rinse it very well. Just cleaned 40# of it last night.

MCCOOL · 04/27/2011, 12:39 PM

I also use and love it.

Reefer-in-Jax · 04/27/2011, 01:31 PM

Wait, do not clean that sand yet. First find out if its live sand or not. If its live you dont want to clean it.. I got 40 pounds of it in my 40b an it was livesand. DO NOT clean live sand.

dublo8 · 04/27/2011, 02:01 PM

special grade, fiji pink and bimini pink is all very nice sand. I use the Bimini pink for mine. It has a bigger grain size and a little pink mixed in. Go with the 1lb per gallon rule with sand. I also agree, don't rinse it. Even if there is dying organisms in it, it will help kick start your cycle.

Toddrtrex · 04/27/2011, 02:04 PM

After rinse the dead stuff last night, there is no way I would put that in my tank(s) without rinsing it first -- way too much "junk" in there, including several small pieces of wood.

Higgy2010 · 04/27/2011, 02:08 PM

My tank has similar dimensions as yours. One 40-lb bag of that sand will make a 1-inch sand bed.
So far I like this sand a lot better than my old sugar-sized type. It doesn't fly around, and if it does, it settles very quickly. Water quality is clear.

Gary Majchrzak · 04/27/2011, 02:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Reefer-in-Jax

Wait, do not clean that sand yet. First find out if its live sand or not. If its live you dont want to clean it.. I got 40 pounds of it in my 40b an it was livesand. DO NOT clean live sand.

should have posted DO NOT PURCHASE live sand

There's a sandbed calculator on the RC homepage.

I use CaribSea Special Grade Reef Sand. I would keep sandbed 1" deep or less (shallow sandbed).

RC sandbed calculator

banzai75x · 04/27/2011, 04:36 PM

Thanks everyone. This stuff appears to be dry and not alive, so I'm going to go the way of washing this sand. I'll go with a SSB too. Maybe 1-2" tops.

EddieJ · 04/27/2011, 04:52 PM

I would go one step further. Soak the sand in RODI water and do a 100 percent water change daily. Test for PO4 (phosphate) daily, when it gets down to zero it is ready for the tank. This may take a few days to over a week to accomplish. Believe me it is WELL worth it!!

04/27/2011, 11:56 AM	#1
banzai75x Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: 92618 Posts: 944	CaribSea Special Grade Reef Sand - Opinions Does anyone have any opinions on this? Can anyone tell me how many 40lbs bag I might need for a 48x24 tank to make a 2-3" sandbed? Sand __________________ Josh

04/27/2011, 12:37 PM	#3
Toddrtrex Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 23,162	Love that sand, all 3 of my tanks have it. It will be 2-3 bags of sand -- start with 2 and see where you are at. And I agree, rinse it very well. Just cleaned 40# of it last night. __________________ Click my name and then "visit toddrtrex's homepage" for tank pictures Current Tank Info: 210g reef and 65g reef

04/27/2011, 12:39 PM	#4
MCCOOL Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 1,135	I also use and love it. __________________ 58g reef

04/27/2011, 02:01 PM	#6
dublo8 Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Morgan Hill, Ca Posts: 3,225	special grade, fiji pink and bimini pink is all very nice sand. I use the Bimini pink for mine. It has a bigger grain size and a little pink mixed in. Go with the 1lb per gallon rule with sand. I also agree, don't rinse it. Even if there is dying organisms in it, it will help kick start your cycle. __________________ 10g IM fusion. Zoa and SPS dominant, Apex monitored, Ai Prime, MP10, sicce return.

04/27/2011, 02:04 PM	#7
Toddrtrex Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Carol Stream, IL Posts: 23,162	After rinse the dead stuff last night, there is no way I would put that in my tank(s) without rinsing it first -- way too much "junk" in there, including several small pieces of wood. __________________ Click my name and then "visit toddrtrex's homepage" for tank pictures Current Tank Info: 210g reef and 65g reef

04/27/2011, 12:25 PM	#2
eho72 Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: San Diego Posts: 322	That's the best sand I've used. You need 3 bags of the 40 lbs size. Rinse well before you put it in.

04/27/2011, 01:31 PM	#5
Reefer-in-Jax Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 5	Wait, do not clean that sand yet. First find out if its live sand or not. If its live you dont want to clean it.. I got 40 pounds of it in my 40b an it was livesand. DO NOT clean live sand.

04/27/2011, 02:08 PM	#8
Higgy2010 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Laguna Hills Posts: 250	My tank has similar dimensions as yours. One 40-lb bag of that sand will make a 1-inch sand bed. So far I like this sand a lot better than my old sugar-sized type. It doesn't fly around, and if it does, it settles very quickly. Water quality is clear.

04/27/2011, 04:36 PM	#10
banzai75x Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: 92618 Posts: 944	Thanks everyone. This stuff appears to be dry and not alive, so I'm going to go the way of washing this sand. I'll go with a SSB too. Maybe 1-2" tops. __________________ Josh

04/27/2011, 04:52 PM	#11
EddieJ Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Brunswick Ohio Posts: 492	I would go one step further. Soak the sand in RODI water and do a 100 percent water change daily. Test for PO4 (phosphate) daily, when it gets down to zero it is ready for the tank. This may take a few days to over a week to accomplish. Believe me it is WELL worth it!!

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