The 5 Finest Dwell Sands for Reef Tanks of 2024

This product is sustainably harvested from the ocean and packaged in as near a pure state as potential. It incorporates helpful bacterial colonies, along with aragonite, a naturally occurring type of calcium carbonate. This calcium carbonate acts as a buffer towards adjustments in your tank’s water, selling a wholesome and constant pH. In the meantime, the bacterial colonies work to lower your ammonia and nitrite ranges.

It seems to be nice too, with tiny shells added to the combo for a extra assorted look. The sand additionally settles shortly, with any cloudiness normally dissipating inside a couple of hours.

Nature’s Ocean has a lot religion in its patented technique of harvesting dwell sand that it ensures that every pound of its sand incorporates greater than 10 million dwell micro organism. This wealthy ecosystem begins working instantly at filtering your tank’s water and shifting it towards a fish-safe equilibrium. It additionally supplies important inorganic parts, together with cobalt, zinc, and molybdenum, along with a wide range of hint parts.

Nature’s Ocean Bio-Activ Dwell Aragonite Reef Aquarium Sand is available in a number of completely different colours and gradients, to finest match your saltwater tank. For instance, Pure White #1 has grains between 0.5 and 1.7 millimeters, making it a superb, uniform alternative for many saltwater tanks, together with these with bottom-dwelling fish. The Pure White #0 model has a finer grain—between 0.1 and 0.5 millimeters—which is extra more likely to get kicked up by direct filter and powerhead outflows however is usually a sensible choice for aquariums with algae eaters that like to select by way of sand, comparable to hermit crabs or snails.

_{Sizes: 10-pound, 20-pound, 40-pound | Varieties: Black seashore, white sand #1, white sand #0, reef substrates, Samoa pink, and Australian gold additionally out there}

Many saltwater aquarists benefit from the distinction that pink sand supplies in comparison with plain white or pure sand. CaribSea Arag-Alive Fiji Pink Sand is a medium grain at 0.5-1.5 millimeters, so it isn’t kicked up simply by filtration and backside dwellers have a simple time shifting it round.

The sand’s microorganisms are engineered to cut back “new tank” syndrome, the place ammonia and nitrite ranges turn out to be dangerously excessive—a standard symptom in environments that haven’t had time to develop the correct ranges of micro organism. It additionally discourages problematic algae development and helps to take care of the right pH steadiness. 

Like most pink sand out there in the marketplace, it’s going to have a mixture of pigments—together with brown, pink, and white grains—giving this sand a spectacular look in a pure reef setting.

_{Sizes: 10-pound, 16-pound, 20-pound | Varieties: Particular grade reef, Bahamas oolite, Hawaiian black, Bimini pink, and pure reef additionally out there}

For daring distinction, some marine aquarists go together with a black substrate. Black sand is nice at setting off the colour of vibrant corals and marine fish. Darker substrate is really helpful particularly when coping with lower-light species, comparable to flashlight fishes. It’s a starkly completely different aesthetic from most marine tanks.

The Hawaiian Black Sand from CaribSea additionally has a bigger grain measurement—between 0.25 and three.5 millimeters. Mixed with its black coloration, this makes the Hawaiian Black choice a little bit extra low upkeep. Grains are giant sufficient that they will not swirl round or get sucked into intakes, whereas the black coloration will not present algae recognizing like white sand does.

_{Sizes: 20-pound, 16-pound, 20-pound | Varieties: Particular grade reef, Bahamas oolite, Fiji pink, Bimini pink, and pure reef additionally out there}

Advantageous sand offers an distinctive texture to any reef setting and is nice for having a number of bottom-dwelling fish and invertebrates to get pleasure from. Nature’s Ocean White Reef Sand options grains between 0.1 and 0.5 millimeters.

Whereas nice, white sand may give a clear look to a reef tank, it requires a little bit extra upkeep. Rigorously direct filter and powerhead outflows with a view to restrict substrate drifting. Highly effective currents can simply carry nice substrate and it’ll not settle out, inflicting a cloudy tank look. The toughest half about coping with white substrate is that it’s going to look “soiled” extra often than different colours. White grains will shortly decide up algae that shall be extra noticeable than with tan, pink, or black substrates. It’s higher for tanks with a decrease bioload or these which can be meticulously cleaned by their house owners or the tank’s inhabitants.

_{Sizes: 10-pound, 20-pound, 40-pound | Varieties: Black seashore, white sand #1, reef substrates, Samoa pink, and Australian gold additionally out there}

Ranging in grain measurement from 3 to five millimeters, CaribSea Pure Reef sand is a good pure factor so as to add to any reef tank. It doesn’t get pushed round simply by filtration parts and most bottom-dwelling fish and invertebrates would not have hassle relocating it. It isn’t really helpful for fish that require full sand burrows, however might be blended with smaller grain sand to supply some weight and distinction to the marine setting.

_{Sizes: 20-pound | Varieties: Particular grade reef, Bahamas oolite, Fiji pink, and Bimini pink additionally out there}