Sugar sand= nightmare

[Plug and play]

I heard good things about sugar sand. Easier for inhabitants to sift and clean, looks really white, helps keep water parameters. But my flow is kicking up sand constantly I hate it sitting on all the rock and making mounds all over. Plus I worry about it wearing the pumps..... Help

 

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

What some people do. Is put some coarser substrate on top  where its kicking up

 

[J_T]

how long has the tank been running?

Yes, the sand is nice, but it takes time to get heavy. My diamond goby tosses sand all day long. It settles quickly. I do need to "clean" the rocks from time to time. But it is better now than it was a year ago.

Putting a coarse sand on top, is a short term solution. The coarse sand will just make its way to the bottom.

 

[Plug and play]

The tank is four months old. So your saying it will get better......

 

[harleymike]

mine is starting too settle down. Almost like its heavier now. Its about 5 months old.

 

[Poseidon]

The coarse sand will just make its way to the bottom.

+1

 

[J_T]

Yes, as the sand builds up a bacteria layer, it will be heavier. Thus settling faster.

 

[Salty Cracker]

Sugar sand is a really nice looking sand....unless you want to take the tank up a notch and have the flow required for sps.


If you're on vacation in the mayan, you'll see lots of sugar sand all over the beach but you won't slip into the surf and find a bunch of millies.  Sps will be down a bit deeper with a coarser sand which, yes, is made up almost entirely with bits of its broken skeleton. 

I think I've always used seaflor and always been happy.  I am a DSB reefer and the only thing I regret was at some point getting super-coarse substrate so that the hermits had shells to upgrade into.  Problem is the coarse stuff get s a lot of hitchhikers and starts to look a bit crappy.

 

[Plug and play]

I do.have tone of flow for sps thats why im having a problem. Thats why I worry if even  when it gets a bacteria layer it may be all over