Best Sand & Rock of 2022
Rock and sand really are one of the most important decisions you make when building a new aquarium. The rock and sand you choose will likely remain throughout the entire life of the aquarium and literally create the habitat which is just as much about form as it is function.
Your sand bed is one of the most biologically diverse areas of your aquarium and holds a majority of the beneficial bacteria. It also provides a comfortable home for a variety of invertebrates and even some fish. Rock helps support the biological stability as well but also provides a suitable habitat for the fish and a foundation for the corals to grow into a thriving reef. Visually, the rock and sand work together to create that picturesque slice of the ocean you imagine in your mind's eye.
Throughout the year, these are the brands and products that prove, time and time again, to be the most popular options among our customers.
Marco Rocks Reef Saver Dry Live Rock
The Aquascapers choice! Reef Saver Dry Rocks are among the most widely used brands of rock in the saltwater aquarium community, certainly the best-selling rock on our website. It's affordable, looks good, and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes to create visually stunning aquascapes.
The availability of dry rock like this has popularized a whole new aspect of the saltwater aquarium hobby - aquascaping. With dry Reef Saver Rock, hobbyists can safely take the time to build intricate custom aquascapes which ultimately create a visually stunning appearance while also providing the necessary biological foundation and habitat our pets need.
Caribsea LifeRock
Easy breezy Caribsea LifeRock! If you are short on patience but flush with ambition, Caribsea LifeRock is for you. This clever dry rock comes already colored with natural shades of purple and pink right out of the box. That means you won't be stuck waiting 6+ months for stark white dry rock to color up and grow its own layer of coralline algae.
You also get to choose from a wide variety of pre-assembled structures and shapes including arches, caves, branches, shelves, and even a fully assembled rock tree. These pieces can be stacked or mixed together to easily assemble a professional-looking, highly functional aquascape without the painstaking process of adhering rubble rocks together. In fact, with the right mix of LifeRock Shapes you can forego using rock adhesives altogether, yet still achieve an aquascape that both you and your fish can appreciate.
Caribsea Sand
Since 1972, Caribsea Inc. has been producing high-quality substrates for aquariums. They offer the very best selection in the industry and hold onto their commitment to quality and consistency.
What makes Caribsea Sand so special? With each bag, you can expect consistent quality which can be tough to maintain with something like bulk sand. From live sand collected right out of the ocean to dry sand material that is sifted down to a particular grain size, all of the Caribsea sand lives up to a particular level of quality and consistency.
The available variety gives you the ability to create an environment in your tank that is very specific to your own vision. Whether that is black sand from a Hawaiian beach or bleach white Caribbean Sand, Caribsea can help you materialize that dream.
Ecosystem Aquarium Miracle Mud Refugium Media
Miracle Mud was the original substrate created specifically for use in refugiums. It is made from mud that is harvested from deep in the ocean that is then enriched with an incredible variety of minerals and elements.
The benefits of Miracle Mud are twofold. The very fine substrate material does not allow for waste and debris to settle and it creates a denitrifying environment, ultimately helping to further remove excess nitrate. With the added minerals, Miracle Mud enriches the water with vital trace elements and nutrients that have been proven to be very beneficial for both fish and corals in an enclosed reef aquarium.
