Carib Sea Sand

[nooneknows]

Hello All...

A question about substrate. I have some carib-sea tahitian moon sand in a tank...does anyone have experience with it? Is it okay for corydoras or will it damage their barbels?

Thanks for your input.

[andywoolloo]

I have my peppered cories on that same sand, no issues. I have my synos on carib sea mixture of the tahitian moon sand and moonlight white, no isses. All barbells and whisks intact.

One word of caution, rinse rinse rinse rinse and rinse again. I put it in 5 gal buckets, about 3 inches of sand and rest full of water, stir with ur hand, let sit, gently pour out water, repeat and repeat and repeat. Then I add the rinsed sand into an empty 5 gal bucket. It's alot of work but it's worth it though. Beautiful stuff.

It's softer to mix the white and black, but my cories are fine on the black only. They even snuffle into it some.

[nooneknows]

Whew...great to know I don't have to return it! Thanks for the quick reply.

Bought a nice shoal of 8 c. agassizi today to put in with Satanoperca jurupari.

And I hear ya'...rinse, rinse, rinse, and rinse, and rinse.

[bronzefry]

I like to mix mine with planting substrates, such as Eco-Complete or Flourite. I like to let the tank fill slowly(about a gallon at a time) and let everything settle. I pour the water onto a clean plate. It really helps with the particulate matter. The Corydoras spp. seem to really enjoy digging. The ones that truly go mental over this are the Scleromystax barbatus. They are like vaccuum cleaners!
Amanda

[andywoolloo]

yeah I do the plate thing also. And I saw this Seachem black sand florite at the fish store last week, that might be cool to try! It's the special planting one and looks just like black sand, no big chhunky rocks or anything like the other planted tank substrate!

[nooneknows]

Great ideas....thanks!

[apistomaster]

Caribsea's black sand is actually graded slag, a glass formed during metal smelting process. It is also available at a much cheaper price at a sand blasting supplies outlet.

Their fresh water safe white sand, "Torpedo Beach Sand" is natural pure quartzite sand and has a gradation that is better suited for aquariums than the finer silica sand used in sand blasting but it is expensive plus the freight charges.

Both are inert and do not alter water chemistry.

[nooneknows]

Hi Larry-

Do you think the slag will damage the cory barbels or be inappropriate for the eartheaters? So far, I have not noticed anything. I had wanted the torpedo beach sand but, it was not available at the store I was at.

Thanks!

[apistomaster]

I have used both and although I can't say I have had any problems with any sand sifter and this black slag glass "sand" my intuition tells me the fish are better off with the quartz sand even though it's particle shapes have some sharp edges it is much less so than the "moon sand'.

Most any shop that sells other CaribSea subtrates should be able to special order it from their suppliers.
I did that with RedSea FloraBase and paid the same $23/12# sack X six bags but did not have to pay freight as I would have from one of the big on-line/catalog fish supplies places.

[nooneknows]

Thanks again Larry...

Agree with your intuition. When I initially went thru the process of rinsing the "sand" I noticed after I was done the plastic bowl I used was extremely scratched! At that point, I began to wonder what effects the same "sand" had on barbels and passing thru the gills. The bag is listed "natural" and "collected from around the world" is a bit misleading IMO.

That being said...I continue to watch and observe. The jurupari and c. agassazii seem to love it. I paid $24/20#...and it did not take but 25% of a bag to coat a 55 gal QT and avoid anoxic zones. Also, it is nice to be able to support a local store.

[andywoolloo]

I haven't seen any damage with Tahitian Moon Sand but it is grittier then the Moonlight White sand. Those are the only two Carib Sea I have ever used.

If I ever re do my cory tank I will try the white sand instead, altho I do like how they look on black.

I have also never seen the Torpedo Beach Sand locally, I wonder if it a thicker grain of sand then the Moonlight White which is very soft and powdery.

apistomaster wrote: Caribsea's black sand is actually graded slag, a glass formed during metal smelting process.

scary.

[apistomaster]

The Torpedo Beach quarzite sand is a coarse grade of sand much larger particle size than the sugary silica sand. It promotes better water circulation through the substrate.