What is the Best Substrate for your Reef Tank?

Aquarists sometimes wonder what they should put on the bottom of their aquariums. Is there a benefit to having substrate that is super fine vs something more chunky? What about no substrate at all? We will take a look at these options and you can decide which works best for you.

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Music:
Tracks: “Easy Jam”
License Terms:
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0

Video:
Camera information:
Footage was shot with a Canon C100
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8L IS macro
Canon EF MP-E 65mm f/2.8 macro
Canon EF-S 10-18mm f/4-4.5 STM IS
Sigma Art 18-35mm f/1.8

Copyright Information:
This video was shot and edited by Tidal Gardens. Tidal Gardens owns all intellectual property rights to this content.

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Final Cut Pro License Agreement 1. C. - "Title and intellectual property rights in and to any content displayed by or accessed through the Apple Software belongs to the respective content owner."
2. B. – “Sample Content. Title and intellectual property rights in and to any content displayed or accessed through the Apple Software belongs to the respective content owner…Except as otherwise provided, you may use the Apple and third party audio file content (including but not limited to, the built-in sound files, samples and impulse responses)(collectively the "Sample Content"), contained in or otherwise included with the Apple Software on a royalty-free basis, to create your own original soundtracks for your film, video, and audio projects.

[koddy]

Nothing better than reefing with the guide of a host with a
symphonious, melodious, enchanting and seductive voice.

[drippingdragon]

I just started my tank up and ended up choosing a hybrid mixture of argonite and fine sands to be a bit more natural i also mixed in a bit of crushed coral as well

[genealameda]

Another great video, Than. I have 3 tanks and all 3 have different substrate. First tank has crushed coral, second has medium sand and the third has fine sand. I chose crushed coral in the first tank as I was most familiar with it from my tanks on the 80's. The second tank I wanted wrasses and went with a medium sand as a balance for them and flow. The third, a nano, tank I went with fine sand so the detritus would sit on top for easy cleaning.

[weaverdetails]

Very informative, I have fine sand and you have to be very careful when cleaning not to scratch the glass. I have been thinking about using crushed coral on my next tank.

[taxol]

Crushed corals. I like the idea of having extra capacity bio filter. Even with all live rock in main tank and crushed coral in sump, I still use crushed corals substrate

[matthewwagner]

Special grade reef sand... with lots of shells for hermits and puka shell for jawfish home building. I think bigger chunks make the sand breathe easier and avoids oxygen deprivation. It looks natural and provides a home for micro life. Plus the natural calcium reactor benefit you mentioned. I like everything that most aquarium keepers hate... algae, asterina stars, GSP, xenia, macro algae, pods, all reef safe inverts. I have a tough time figuring out how anyone could want a bare bottom tank. I want a whole natural ecosystem and I don't think that's even possible without a sand bed.

[spllbnd]

My favorite by far is Tropic Eden. I use 2 bags of Reef Flakes to one bag of Mini Flakes and the size is Awesome!!! Also stay clean compared to the rest of the stuff I've used. I've been in reef tanks for about 15 years now.

[StickNate]

I have Tropic Eden substrate in my tank. It's a large particle size. It's great because it can handle high flow for my SPS; however....The tank has been set up for 2 1/2 years and I've been having substrate clumping issues due to detritus that has settled and solidified. My phosphates have been a problem lately. I'm going to transition and go bare bottom.

[Forgetii]

Another great video.  I prefer a mix of smaller gravel with oolitic aragonite sand.  I like a mix that will withstand a higher flow yet allow for a variety of macrofauna as well as microfauna.  My most successful tank had this mix and other than a small amount of sand sifting in one corner the tank flourished.

[Lykous]

My choice is crushed coral 0-1mm to keep detritus on sight and cause it is heavy enough to adjust the flow and not to get sand storms. It is mostly aesthetic but again to keep detritus on sight and siphon them out if they build up and finally it is a huge area for beneficial bacteria and keep the water chemistry stable by buffering.
I am thinking of mixing it with Red Sea reef live white aragonite sand, not sure yet. What do you think?

[NZ]

Greetings, y'all!

That was an informative video explaining the options.
Way back in the early 70s, before I knew any better, I used crushed oyster shell with undergravel filters with lots of bubbles coming out of the tube risers, and salt creep over the sides and on the lights. I used no other kind of filtration and had great success. One of my aquariums was 6G (a former Zippo lighter display: hexagon, sealed acrylic, and tall), and another was a pentagon (home plate shaped) of about 72G. Then we moved around 1980 and I gave up my aquariums, until now.

I am planning to get started again and, again, thinking of using crushed oyster shell, anywhere from 3-4 5" thick. It is cheap, seems to be basically the same as crushed coral, and maybe mix some crushed coral in for looks. Also, I would mix in some sand in areas where I would like to encourage gobies to live. Underneath all that I am thinking of using eggcrate covered with plastic window screen type mesh. Maybe have some holes in that to glue rock to the glass.

I would love to read comments and, even, criticisms.

Thanks!

[stewartdevisser]

Well before I seen this video I went with a mixture of sand and crushed coral 40/60 sand heavy, I chose this because of experience i had breeding Africa ciclids, I like the idea of not seeing waste hoping it will sit on top of the sand giving my pumps a chance to do their job and having surface area for my clean up crew to attach to. Not sure if it is going to work with Saltwater I try not to be in the tank as much as I was with fresh water fish.

I have a mixed reef tank with tangs wrasses and gobies

[leo]

I use Tropic Eden's mid range substrate. Not too fine not too coarse. Just pleasing to the eye. Does not create a sandstorm if I increase the flow, at the same time it is not coarse enough to let leftover food pass thru.

[majikmesa]

Deep fine sand be is what I go with, my snake eel needs and I am planning on putting a coral catshark in my system in a few months.

[TimHarris-photog]

Thanks for the info! We're working on a separate display refugium and would have chosen to use the same medium course sand as the main DT (Caribsee Arag-Alive Special) but now I think we'll purchase something lighter and more fine in courseness to hold the mangroves and other macro algae. Open to any suggestions.

[portwolf]

Have you thought of undergravel jet filters? There basically an undergravel filter in reverse creating uplifting flow and keep food and detritus suspended and oxygenat the Substrate. Also prevents things like sulfur gas buildup.
It can use a small pump with a sponge filter to trap suspended food for your cleaning crew and shrimp and such to feed from, other fish will pick from it too. It can be made with pvc in a grid format with holes drilled in the side for sand, or bottom for gravel, YouTube it =)

[simonjohnson]

I ended up going for the larger coral gravel in my new reefer so that the ricordea florida/fungia collection have something to grow across.

[jjflounder]

I opted for three quarters of an inch of Fiji pink across the entire bottom with crushed Coral on either side .... The crushed Coral is at the base of Rockpile either side of the tank aesthetically blending into the finer sand .... I like some crushed Coral in the tank for amphipods and copepods and I think the blending looks more natural to me ..

[Brotbaumfenstertisch]

i watch this video when i'm drunk because he has such a smooth voice :D nearly as good as Bob Ross

[rjmccutcheon]

Do you have any experience keeping clams and know what substrate they prefer? Also, on the left side of your tank, is that a green urchin or a coral the clownfish was playing in? Thanks