Oolitic (sugar sized) sand & dust

[Len]

Anyone using sugar-sized aragonite and notice there's always some aragonite dust in the water column? It never seems to fully settle or filter out in my tank. I do have two Vortechs going, but they aren't kicking up the sand at all.

 

[jamesw]

Yep. I just set up my tank w/ 160# of the oolitic stuff. I decided not to rinse it at all, just added it, poured some seafloor on top and added water. I figured since natural reefs have that particle size I want to have it too.

All I can recommend is pouring some coarser stuff on top Len. Or eventually your skimmer will pull it out.

Cheers
James

 

[Anonymous]

I used that substrate in my current nano, and it really takes a lot of time until the fines either settle out or get coated with organics so they aren't in the water column.

 

[Len]

I'll wait then. I had much larger sand all the decades before, so this is the first time I've dealt with this fine a sand. It's not cloudy/milky, but I can definitely see white particulates in the water constantly in suspension. I just hope my tank inhabitants don't mind.

 

[Anonymous]

I had a DSB for years and there was always a few grains floating around(South Down Sand). I am now in the porcess of going bare bottom.

 

[Anonymous]

i just put a filter sock on the tank for the first few days. It got rid of most of it. I was using ESV sand, btw.

B