I ordered 2 bags of Titan Moon sand for my new 46 gallon bow front tank. It took about 2 hours of rinsing to get the water to run clear and then I let it sit for 24 hours, and rinsed it again but it was already very clean. I put the sand in my tank, filled it, and the water was totally clear I didn't have to use the Bio-Magnet stuff that came with it.
The sand has a nice low key sparkle to it and my 2 pleco's seem to really like it. It's fairly soft, but not so fine that I'll have to worry about my Fluval 306 filter sucking it up. It's a very nice product, I would certainly suggest it if you want an easy to care for substrate.

+1point

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Review 2 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

5 / 5 25 reviews

fantastic, settles well

March 19, 2013

by bettafishluv

fromcalifornia

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

I have a 10 gallon tank with 1 betta and 3 albino corydoras, and they LOVE this sand. It holds beneficial bacteria well, and keeps my tank cleaner, the hard packed particles hold the waste on top, unlike gravel where it falls to the bottom.

It only took me an hour to wash until it ran clear(i had white) and i had inserted it into an ALREADY existing aquarium, no problems. Even though its sugar/flour fine, it settles very nicely within 5 minutes(atleast for me it did) and my cories just love it!

Great product overall

0points

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Review 3 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

4 / 5 25 reviews

Very good

March 5, 2013

by tarn

fromvancouver

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?4

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

little bit of dust but two days of water changes to clear it up. amazing look.

0points

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Review 4 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

4 / 5 25 reviews

Good!

February 14, 2013

by Oddy

fromMonroe, Louisiana

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

My father bought me this sand for my 10 gallon. It was cleaned fast, and it wasn't oily like other reviewers said.It is nice and sparkly!

+1point

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Review 5 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

5 / 5 25 reviews

Looks amazing!

February 1, 2013

by pettit15

fromElk Grove, Ca.

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

Reviewer Images

After reading the reviews I purchased the CaribSea Sand for my 75 gallon tank at Petsmart. I absolutely love it. Great color with a slight sparkle. I followed the instructions on the bag and filled the tank with the sand after the water was about half way. I let everything settle over night and turned my aqua clear filter on in the morning before I went to work, when I got home the tank was crystal clear and the sand was beautiful. I love it and would recomend this product to anyone.

+1point

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Review 6 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

5 / 5 25 reviews

Would not use anything else

January 28, 2013

by MichelleRenee

fromSpring TX

What is your gender?F

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

Sand is the only way to go in my aquariums! I stared out with gravel and quickly figured out, it was not my cup of tea. I love the natural look for sand and this black sand is beyond pretty in my tanks.

Simple to use, just rinse well before using and dump it in and let your tank cycle.

Oh, and did I mention, my fish LOVE IT!

+1point

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Review 7 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

5 / 5 25 reviews

Good sand

January 9, 2013

by YOLO

Top 100 contributor
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Top 100 contributor

fromFarmington, MI

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

I have four cory cats, and I needed a substrate that wouldn't wear down their barbels. The people at Petsmart said smooth gravel, but gravel can have some sharp edges. My uncle recomended sand, so I got this. Thanks Petsmart!

0points

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Review 8 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

5 / 5 25 reviews

Black sand

October 2, 2012

by samjam77

fromMichigan, Mi

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

Reviewer Images

I got this sand to try something new! I Love it every thing stays in place! It makes every thing pop out. i love the color

0points

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Review 9 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

5 / 5 25 reviews

Beautiful, and NOT a Cleaning Nightmare

January 8, 2012

by MailManX

fromSan Diego, CA

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

I think some of the reviewers are a bit over-cautious about their tanks. I've been an aquarium hobbiest for 12 years and do care about my fish and water parameters. I don't take it lightly, yet I didn't feel the need to spend hours and hours cleaning this sand.

I spent about 10 minutes per bag stirring and rinsing. I used (3) bags of this beautiful, Tahitian Moon black sand in my 70-gallon aquarium. While I was rinsing, there was no evidence of the "oily" looking residue others have mentioned. The were just a hint of cloudiness in my tank after I filled it. In fact, I decided not to use the "bio-magnet" packets that came with the sand. Within an hour of filter circulation, the water was crystal clear.

I didn't add any fish for three days until the water parameters and temperature had stabilized. I used an existing bio-filter, so I did not have to do a full cycle as if it were a new tank set-up.

This black sand is amazingly beautiful using 10K to 20K lighting. It has great contrast and a bit of sparkle.

Highly recommended!

+8points

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Review 10 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

4 / 5 25 reviews

Worth the effort

October 18, 2010

by alkemist

fromIndiana

What is your gender?F

Appearance

5 / 5 25 reviews

Quality

4 / 5 25 reviews

I purchased 20lbs of the Tahitian Moon sand. I had read reviews before hand and had an idea what I was getting myself into. This was the first time I have used sand. I've had aquariums through the years and have to say this is not a beginner product or for the feint of heart. Be prepared to put tons of effort into it. The sand would not stop releasing black residue into the water.. seems almost like it was an oil spill... did the manufacture even clean it?? Even turned my hand and fingernails black..

I originally washed the sand in a bucket. I swirled the sand over and over until the water looked to be clear. I was setting up a new 29G acrylic aquarium so I dumped the sand into the empty tank. Filled the tank with water and it was nothing but ink water!! I siphoned out as much water as possible and continued to just wash the sand with warm water for hours on end inside the tank. I let it sit over night and continued the next day for hours again. When the water only had a light tint of grey to it, did a final drain and added in cold water and it finally cleared out.

The sand now sparkles and looks fantastic in my tank. It was definitely worth the time and effort. All my fish love the sand, especially the cories.

Pros: beautiful, sparkles, worth the effort, very fine, soft, easy to maintain

Cons: takes lots of effort to clean for tank setup

+4points

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Review 11 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

4 / 5 25 reviews

CaribSea Aquarium Sand (black)

February 4, 2010

by mtnjoe3

fromCo

What is your gender?M

Appearance

5 / 5 25 reviews

Quality

5 / 5 25 reviews

There is no exaggeration in what the other reviewers had said about the cleaning. I cleaned and rinsed this product for several hours. And when I thought it was clean I would rinse it again. I had to take several breaks and put in about 6+ hours work before I was able to put it in the tank. At several points in time I was asking myself if it was really worth the hassle, But in the long run I am very pleased with this product. All the work you put in is well worth the reward. It looks great!

If you dont want to put in much work this may not be what you are looking for.

I started off rinsing with extremely warm water and tried to develop a good method for the cleaning. After a while I used extremely hot water and agitated the heck out of it. As it got closer to being clear I began using room temp water to place it in the tank.

Pros: it gives your tank a great look

Cons: cleaning but hard work pays off

+2points

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Review 12 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

5 / 5 25 reviews

Never buy gravel again

February 2, 2010

by Brutas

fromHammond, LA

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

Appearance

5 / 5 25 reviews

Quality

4 / 5 25 reviews

This is the first type of sand I have ever bought, someone gave me some similar substrate but was slightly larger in size.

Yes for some reason when you rinse this sand it does appear oily. Just keep rinsing, don't follow the process on the bag, in my opinion and experience. Place the sand in a 5gal bucket and rinse and rinse, when you think you have rinsed enough go find something to do and come back and rinse again. Throughout the entire process stir the sand until there is no more to rinse. Now take your bucket and fill with the hottest tap water you have, let the sand warm up and then add to your tank, the sand will be quite cold from rinsing.

After yo have let the sand warm up, not too warm though, turn off your filters!! Pour the sand in, gently, don't want to bust your tank. Leave the sand to settle and add the chemical from the bag to clear up the tank. Give the sand some time to settle. probably around 2 hours, turn your filters back on and you should be good to go.

I now have this sand in 3 tanks, 10gal, 37, gal and a 55 gal. I will never use gravel again.

Pros: easy to maintain!, worth the effort

Cons: takes time to rinse.

+7points

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Review 13 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

4 / 5 25 reviews

good

December 7, 2009

by needlefishman

fromoldsmar florida

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

Appearance

4 / 5 25 reviews

Quality

4 / 5 25 reviews

i like this sand it is very nice in my tank but it is hard to clean
but overall i like it

Pros: looks good

Cons: hard to clean

0points

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Review 14 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

3 / 5 25 reviews

October 19, 2009

by AquariumFan

fromsaint louis MO

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

Appearance

5 / 5 25 reviews

Quality

3 / 5 25 reviews

This looks great in the tank but takes forever and a day to get clean

Pros: looks good

Cons: hard to clean

0points

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Review 15 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

5 / 5 25 reviews

Used for years

August 10, 2009

by WiLieR

fromMS

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

Appearance

5 / 5 25 reviews

Quality

5 / 5 25 reviews

I have been a fan of the black Tahitian moon sand for years. I have used it in my 55 gallon tank as well as my 120 and 210 setups. The 55 is home to two jack dempsey's and a large pleco. The others are large cichlid colonies. Remember to turn off all impeller based filters/pumps before stirring the sand to either clean the sand or add sand to a tank. I have never had an issue with any of my sand being "oily". I have purchased over 40 bags of this sand in the past 8 years and will continue to use it. It provides a very sharp contrast against the colorful cichlids in our tanks.

One thing to remember when adding the sand to an existing tank: when washing the sand in cold water, if you do not allow the sand to warm up to room temp or run some warm water through it before adding it to the aquarium, then you run the risk of lowering the water temps in the tank enough to put the fish into thermal shock. Cold sand will absorb a good amount of heat to warm up, so make sure the sand is room temp or water temp before adding it to your tank (with your filters powered off of course).

Pros: consistent grain size, consitent color

0points

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Review 16 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

5 / 5 25 reviews

Great product

January 27, 2009

by tricept

fromcalifornia

Appearance

5 / 5 25 reviews

Quality

5 / 5 25 reviews

This is the best aquarium sand for the money. It doesn't affect your aquarium parameters like those live sands.

Initially, the sand does contain this type of oily substance, but after 3-4 deep rinses, the sand was completely clear for me.

I bought the moon sand.

0points

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Review 17 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

4 / 5 25 reviews

It looks amazing- love it!

December 9, 2008

by cichlid4

fromSan Antonio, TX

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?3

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

Appearance

4 / 5 25 reviews

Quality

4 / 5 25 reviews

Reviewer Images

This sand looks great once all the particles settle....for a little bit i thought the water was going to stay cloudy but it didn't and once everything settled .... it Looked amazing!

First off I would recommend this exspecially if you're just starting you're tank and have not bought any fish...it's much easier because you have to let the sand settle for couple hours.

Here are some pointers putting in this sand:

-- if you have fish take them out before putting any sand in.
-- Make sure you take out filiter before putting any of the sand in and when cleaning fish tank.
-- You must make sure everything is settled before putting you're filter back!
-- Wash the sand good
-- if you have a gravel vac. do not put it directly on top of sand when cleaning....give a little space between the sand and pump (about 1/2inch)

+5points

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Review 18 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

1 / 5 25 reviews

A Full Eclipse of Tahitian Moon, please!

August 25, 2008

by Teen

fromOceanside CA

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

Appearance

2 / 5 25 reviews

Quality

1 / 5 25 reviews

I never finished rinsing this product after one hour. I am taking the rest back. It is OILY, stained my fingers, and will not stop puking up oil & fine dust. I'd have to be CRAZY to ruin my tank and filter with this over-priced GUNK. It's worse than trying to rinse barbeque bricketts covered in lighter fluid. I would never subject my fish to this CRUD. I went to the manufacturers website and it says its not good for growing plants.

-1point

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Review 19 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

4 / 5 25 reviews

CARIBSEA AQUARUIM SAND

June 30, 2008

by DRGOLDFISH

fromRANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?3

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

Appearance

4 / 5 25 reviews

Quality

4 / 5 25 reviews

I'VE USED THIS PRODUCT, AND I MUST ADMIT, IT LOOKS VERY NICE. AT FIRST...IT REQUIRES A LOT OF MAINTENANCE DEPENDING ON HOW MANY FISH OR ANY OTHER YOU HAVE DWELLING. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT, JUST KNOW YOU WILL HAVE TO PUT IN A LOT OF WORK.

0points

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Review 20 for CaribSea Aquarium Sand

Overall rating

3 / 5 25 reviews

June 22, 2008

by alpine

Top 25 contributor
Vote on helpful content and promote its author.
Top 25 contributor

fromChicago

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?4

How often do you shop at PetSmart?A few times a year

Appearance

5 / 5 25 reviews

Quality

3 / 5 25 reviews

Great item however when cleaning i guess some of the sand got into my filter and now it doesn't work. Even thought item looks great i wouldn't recommend it simply because i don't believe it's worth the hassle of having a decoration, with the risk of loosing your filter. BE EXTREMELY CAREFUL!!

0points

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