Aragonite sand is only found in the Bahamas and is the
preferred substrate for reef aquariums, being especially
important for Deep (4” minimum) and Shallow (anything less)
Sand Beds (DSB & SSB). It’s smooth oval texture, calcium
carbonate base and other trace elements, make it ideal for
supporting the necessary fauna in a DSB to convert Nitrate
to Nitrogen gas, the final step in the Nitrification
process.
Aragonite sand is best used lightly rinsed. To prevent a
sand storm when using Aragonite sand, care must be taken
when setting up a new DSB or SSB. We recommend wetting a
portion of the sand in a 5 gal bucket, stirring thoroughly
once, pour off the “milk” colored water and transfer the
lightly rinsed sand to the aquarium. Place your base pieces
of Live Rock (LR) on rock stands, place plastic bags on the
sand and gently add saltwater. When half full, carefully
remove the plastic bags, continue aquascaping with LR and
finish filling to capacity. Turn on circulation pumps. You
will get cloudy water but, that will clear in 24 to 36
hours, done properly.
For a complete pictorial and descriptive explanation of
how we set up our DSB, click -
DSB.
