
Why does BRS recommend this?
If we had to choose a single type of sand for any tank, it would be the Arag-Alive Fiji Pink sand. It is by far the most popular sand for its medium to large grain size, high amount of total available surface area, as well as just its overall beauty.
Caribsea's Arag-Alive! Live Reef Sand is a great choice for new aquarists and new reef tank setups. Arag-Alive sands clear quickly and contain millions of live bacteria, speeding up your tanks cycle and leading to less nuisance algae.
Features
- Contains live bacteria to assist with a faster cycle
- Grain size: 0.5-1.5mm
- Most popular size for reef sand
- High Surface Area for Bacteria
Selecting the right sand: When choosing the right sand for your tank, it is important to keep a few things in mind.
How much flow will be in the tank?
Aquariums with high amounts of water movement will require sand with a larger grain size. Smaller particles can be blown around easily.
What kind of inhabitants will you be keeping?
Many species do require particular types of sand, like gobies, jawfish, and wrasses. Fish and invertebrates that like to burrow or sift through the sand will do best with smaller particle sizes.
Will it be for a refugium or deep sandbed?
Sand that will be used for filtration or refugium, we suggest using smaller particles that will give bacteria more surface area to grow and thrive on.
How much sand do I need?
BRS suggests 1 pound of Fiji Pink sand per 2 gallons of display tank volume on average.
Below is a table of common tank sizes and how many pounds of Fiji Pink sand is required to achieve a certain depth. Results may vary depending on the aquascaping in your tank, overflow styles, and the specific tank manufacturer. We always recommend getting a little extra sand to make sure you have enough on hand when you are filling your tank.
Common Tank Sizes | Dimension | 1" Depth | 2" Depth | 3" Depth |
10 Gallon | 20x10x12 | 10.4 lbs | 20.8 lbs | 31.3 lbs |
20 Gallon | 24x12x16 | 15.0 lbs | 30.0 lbs | 45.0 lbs |
29 Gallon | 30x12x18 | 18.8 lbs | 37.5 lbs | 56.3 lbs |
30 Gallon | 36x13x16 | 24.4 lbs | 48.8 lbs | 73.1 lbs |
40 Gallon | 36x18x16 | 33.8 lbs | 67.5 lbs | 101.3 lbs |
55 Gallon | 48x13x20 | 31.8 lbs | 63.6 lbs | 95.5 lbs |
75 Gallon | 48x18x21 | 44.1 lbs | 88.1 lbs | 132.2 lbs |
90 Gallon | 48x18x24 | 44.1 lbs | 88.1 lbs | 132.2 lbs |
120 Gallon | 48x24x24 | 58.8 lbs | 117.5 lbs | 176.3 lbs |
180 Gallon | 72x24x24 | 90.0 lbs | 180.0 lbs | 270.0 lbs |
220 Gallon | 72x24x30 | 90.0 lbs | 180.0 lbs | 270.0 lbs |
300 Gallon | 72x36x27 | 135.0 lbs | 270.0 lbs | 405.0 lbs |
Sand Type | Grain Sizes (mm) | Average Density |
Fiji Pink | 0.5 - 1.5 | 90lbs per cubic foot |
Special Grade | 1.0 - 2.0 | 85lbs per cubic foot |
Bahamas Oolite | 0.25 - 1.0 | 96lbs per cubic foot |
Indo-Pacific Black | 0.25 - 5.0 | 90lbs per cubic foot |
West Caribbean Reef | 1.0 - 5.0 | 90lbs per cubic foot |
Hawaiian Black | 0.25 - 3.5 | 80lbs per cubic foot |
Bimini Pink | 0.5 - 5.0 | 90lbs per cubic foot |
Natural Reef | 3.0 - 5.5 | 85lbs per cubic foot |
Florida Crushed Coral | 3.0 - 5.5 | 72lbs per cubic foot |
SKU | Fiji Pink Arag-Alive! Live Reef Sand |
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Product Questions
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcJv2rQDivg8NwXIxydJ86A
It certainly can be added without much of a new cycle. You will ideally want to rinse the sand beforehand in tank water to removed the dust and fines when placing in the new sand. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions.
For a 1" sand bed you will need 25 lbs. for a 2" sand bed you can double the amount to 50 lbs. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
The clarifier is included is reef safe and may make your skimmer start acting up if it is running. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
unfortunately I was unable to find the length of the tank provided. If you tank is 72" long and 24" front to back you will need around 100 lbs for 1.5" deep sand bed across the tank. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
The Fiji Pink is not shipped with "ocean" water, rather it is dormant bacteria and saltwater and does not contain hitchhikers or other pests. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
Unfortunately bringing in heavy items such as sand does take some time and accounting. I have submitted the request to look into bringing in more options such as Tropic Eden. Feel free to let us know if you have any further questions!
How deep of a sandbed is largely dependent on your own aesthetic preference unless you happen to have a critter that requires a certain amount of sand (like a Jawfish for example). For a tank that size you will get about an inch of sand for every 50lbs which would be plenty if you don't have any critters that require more.
100lbs should be plenty for a nice 2" or so sandbed in that size tank. When it comes to aquascaping I always put the rock down first. That way you don't have to worry about a critter digging the sand out under the rock and causing a land slide or anything.
It wouldn't be a problem at all to use this with an existing tank. The biggest concern would be to make sure you remove the old substrate a little bit at a time. You don't want to remove it all at once as there may be a high population of your bacterial filtration on it.
Thanks:)
That wont be any problem at all :-)
It has the beneficial bacteria in it which is what makes it "alive" but it will still be pest free. Adding 1" of sand to a 27x72 area would require right about 100lbs of sand.
Assuming standard 2ft x 4ft dimensions of most 120g tanks. 120lbs would get you about a 2" sand bed which is pretty typical for most folks.
It depends on how deep of a sand bed that you are looking for. Assuming your tank is a standard 55g dimensions you can expect roughly a 1" sand bed for each 35lbs of sand that you use though.
Right about 70lbs of sand would get you about 2" of sand bed on a footprint that size.
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