# why aragonite?



## Flear (Dec 8, 2012)

why aragonite for a marine/reef substrate ?

why not any other fine grade sand ? (play sand, pool filter sand, etc)

never thought about this before, but now that the thought has come to mind, it's a considerable curiosity.


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## albert_dao (May 28, 2012)

NO real reason. Aragonite has marginal, if any, buffering capacity at the hardness levels marine tanks require in their water column. You can use pretty much any sort of clean sand. In fact, Caribsea, which is a major player in the aragonite substrate even has marine substrates:

Dry Marine Substrates (near the bottom of the page)

They use to have a few others also (Tahitian Moon Black Sand, this other grey one and such), but I guess they no longer offer them?

In any case, I've seen all sorts of substrate used in Marine aquaria, from mud-like silts to playground sand.

Just keep in mind that the finer you go, the less flow you can get. In reef tanks, flow is laterally relative to success.


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## Flear (Dec 8, 2012)

Aragonite substrate had me a little baffled, everywhere i turned everyone was using that in one form or another, one grain size or another, and the sudden question of "why?" came to mind. could make all kinds of guesses about possible benefits using aragonite over not using it if it's only a preference for what most people do, ... but would be better off learning hands on.

seeing that a lot in the aquarium hobby, many estimates, but harder to find the case studies.

been concerned about substrate particle size. that, like other areas, sound like i'm going to have to do testing to get the answers though 
realizing one of those answers is going to be a constant variable  (bio-load capacity dependent on particle size)


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## discuspaul (Jul 2, 2010)

Aragonite is a naturally developed element which has the capacity to maintain pH at a relatively stable, neutral level.
It makes up the seabed floor for literally hundreds of miles of reefs surrounding all of the Bahamas Islands, for example.
It also forms part of the shellbase of most crustaceans in the seas.
So it's really quite an apt product to use as substrate in a marine aquarium.
Google aragonite and you'll get a lot of information.


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

I like it, i not only have it in my saltwater tank but also in my africans and helps with the ph


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## Flear (Dec 8, 2012)

albert, how well do those 'mud-like silts' hold up ?
any problems of them being too fine or just preference ?


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## albert_dao (May 28, 2012)

They suck. Get kicked up by flow. Flow = success.


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## Flear (Dec 8, 2012)

any recommendations on what you would consider the finest grain of sand ? (if i got a sieve for sand consistency ?)

off-hand i'm thinking 0.1-0.2mm as "fine" sand
less than 0.1mm too fine to think of for any testing purposes.


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## Flear (Dec 8, 2012)

any recommendations on what you would consider the finest grain of sand ? (if i got a sieve for sand consistency ?)

off-hand i'm thinking 0.1-0.2mm as "fine" sand
less than 0.1mm too fine to think of for any testing purposes.


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