This was my first time using sand in my 5 gallon aquarium. I wasn't sure what I would be getting myself into with a sand substrate, whether it was hard to maintain, but I decided to give it a try anyway.

I bought a 5lb bag of the Tahitian Moon (Black). It was easier to clean than what I expected. I just dumped it into a bucket and stirred it around in some water, dumping out the slightly grey water and filling it back up with clean water. It didn't take me more than 10 minutes to get the majority of the lighter pieces of sand out. It comes with a clarifier but I felt no need to use it.

After getting the sand into my tank it only took a couple hours to start clearing up and by the next day the water was crystal clear. I knew I wanted live plants and was unsure if the sand would be too compact or heavy for roots to grow but the sand is so light that my plants (which started just as clippings) are growing healthy thick roots. Because of this I decided to by another 5lb bag so the plants roots could grow deeper (and so they stay firmly in place) so I have 10lbs in a 5 gallon tank which is plenty if not excessive! But oh well!

The sand does get stirred up if you are moving things around so I'd suggest turning off or taking your filter out of the tank so it doesn't suck up any sand and ruin the filter. I have a bubble wall at the back of the tank with sand over the tubing but the bubbles don't disturb or kick up the sand. The bubbles just moved a bit of the sand out of the way so the air could escape the tube but that's all.

Overall I love this sand. It's pretty, stylish and most importantly, easy to use.

+1point

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Review 2 for CaribSea Aquarium Substrates

Overall rating

5 / 5 11 reviews

Great!!

November 11, 2012

by LUVLIFE

fromNew York, NY

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

This sand is so soft to the touch. Please make sure to rinse it out well before putting it into your tank, i only needed to use half the bag as i was only sanding a portion of my tank. Rinse it little by little in a big bucket as this makes the process easier.
Overall, you will be please with this purchase.
Happy Fishing!!

+1point

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Review 3 for CaribSea Aquarium Substrates

Overall rating

5 / 5 11 reviews

Amazing!

October 8, 2012

by tigger1027

fromMesa, AZ

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

Reviewer Images

I bought the 5lb Moonlight Sand bag (the white sand) and it is absolutely amazing! Its soft and my albino cories LOVE it! Many people dont like sand because of the cleaning process but if you go onto youtube and look up "How to clean new aquariumsand the easy way" by endymion250 I promise the sand is worth it! I cleaned the sand (like how it was shown in the video) in about 10 minutes, put some water clearifier in it, and thats all! It was super easy and my tank is crystal clear. I highly reccomend this and recommend you look up the video, it will help dramaticly!

+3points

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Review 4 for CaribSea Aquarium Substrates

Overall rating

4 / 5 11 reviews

I love this product, but ...

May 24, 2012

by DerpyTurtle

fromElk Grove, CA

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?4

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

I bought the sunset gold sand(20 lbs.) for my turtle tank, and it looks great. It has a few downers though. The filter sometimes picks it up. The main problem is, my water is pretty cloudy since I didn't rinse it well and I didn't add the bio-magnet clarifier. So don't make the same mistake I did or you'll be stuck with a tank that will have an even longer cycling time.

+1point

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Review 5 for CaribSea Aquarium Substrates

Overall rating

3 / 5 11 reviews

Beautiful but difficult

October 25, 2011

by fishobsessed19

fromMI

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?2

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

This was my first attempt at sand in my aquariums. I bought the white color and its very fine and soft. it looks beautiful but has left a white residue on many of my decorations. Also its very easily disturbed from the filter. Though being that this was my first attempt at sand I expected more difficulties with it then gravel.

0points

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Review 6 for CaribSea Aquarium Substrates

Overall rating

5 / 5 11 reviews

Looks And Feels Like Real Sand

October 7, 2011

by NoName

fromEarth

How often do you shop at PetSmart?First time

Bought two of the 5 lbs bags of Tahitian Moon Sand (black) which is perfect amount for a 10 gallon tank. I have seen no problems with the sand getting into my Penguin 100 filter, it is a fine sand, very soft. It does get kicked up when moving things around and cleaning but settles back to the bottom.

I rinsed mine by cutting the top edges of the bag and running the sink water through one end and had the water come out the other end. Some sand does come out when rinsing, only a very small amount though. Basically just what is floating in the water. Took me about 15 minutes for both bags.

When I added the sand and filled up the tank, there was still some sand throughout the water and it was cloudy. But the sand settled to the bottom of the tank and at the top of the water line. The sand at the water line I just wiped off. It was all settled and the water was clear within 2-3 hours. I started my filter up about an hour after I added the sand.

I think even if you rinsed the sand out every hour on end some will still be in the water and would need to settle. Thats just how it is, but it is really nothing to worry about.

Again this is a very fine and soft sand, feels really nice. Nothing at all like the rocky gravel black substrates.

If you want sand for your tank I would recommend this product.

+7points

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Review 7 for CaribSea Aquarium Substrates

Overall rating

5 / 5 11 reviews

April 10, 2011

by BettaMusiq

fromMadison,WI

What is your gender?M

How many pets do you have?1

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

I absolutely love it! i bout the 5lb bag and it only took me about 5 mins to rinse and then water was clean, it might be different for the 20lb bag though. The sand makes my tank look gorgeous! i would totally recommend this to anyone

+4points

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Review 8 for CaribSea Aquarium Substrates

Overall rating

5 / 5 11 reviews

Beautiful

January 29, 2011

by Katty

fromRenton, WA

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?5 or more

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Monthly

The color really complements the fish. Its a beautiful golden beach sand color, and is sugar fine. It was a bit cloudy after I added the water since I was lazy on the rinsing but it came with a "water clarifier" packet which did remove the cloudiness, but then the made clumps of sand I had to siphon up.

It acts pretty much like any other sand, it's just prettier and you know it's safe for fish. It is a little more expensive than basic gravel but if you have a small tank it isn't too bad.

+4points

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Review 9 for CaribSea Aquarium Substrates

Overall rating

5 / 5 11 reviews

Better than rocks!

January 16, 2011

by Cichlids4life

fromCichild Town

What is your gender?F

How many pets do you have?3

How often do you shop at PetSmart?Weekly

This sand looks absolutely beautiful and my cichlids love it! I purchased the white sand it is actually enhances the colors of the fish and makes the tank look cleaner. I've read that it's a pain to rinse the sand but for me it wasn't. I placed a slit in the top of each bag and stuck the hose in the bag. This technique worked great! The food and poo will sit right on top of the sand but you have to use caution when using a hose gravel cleaner. Because the sand is very fine, it will get sucked up in the hose if you're not careful. I found that small circular motions just above the sand works best. It takes a little longer to clean the tank but it's well worth it! Don't spend too much time getting the sand just right, your cichilds will adjust it to their liking. As far as the price goes, it is a bit more expensive than gravel but it's well worth the extra money.

Pros: looks great cleaner tank happier fish.

Cons: takes a little more time to set up and clean.

+2points

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Review 10 for CaribSea Aquarium Substrates

Overall rating

2 / 5 11 reviews

Wouldnt recommend

January 2, 2011

by Britt29

fromShippensburg, Pa

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

It looks awesome in your tank no doubt about that. But you cant put your air stones anywhere near the same end as your filter, it will kick up the sand and your filter will suck it up. It also get stuck in the rotating parts of your filter and caused my filter to burn up. Your water is always cloudy. I have had tanks for years, and I have never had as many problems with my tanks since I switched to this sand.

Pros: cichlids love it because they are always digging, looks great

Cons: expensive, hard to care for

-5points

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Review 11 for CaribSea Aquarium Substrates

Overall rating

5 / 5 11 reviews

Best stuff available for any tank.

April 12, 2010

by Anarchy99

fromPhoenix Arizona

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 11 reviews

Quality

5 / 5 11 reviews

I have always used heavy sand for aquarium substrate and Ive been keeping fish for almost 20 years now. This stuff is extremely beautiful and easy to maintain. As the product description notes it helps keep the PH in your water correct. Just because its made for african cichlids doesnt mean you cant use it in any fresh water tank. I dont know anything about salt water so you are on your own with that. I keep tiger oscars and I use only the Black (sahara) substrate. My only complaint is the pre-tank preparation. You have to rinse this stuff off and it is quite a chore. On contact it turns every drop of water PITCH BLACK. It takes FOREVER to rinse it off and even then you will have to run your filters for about 24-48 hours to get the water to clear up. Not what I would expect from something this expensive. It took five 20lb bags of this stuff to load my 75 gallon tank. Thats $150 on substrate alone. For that kind of money I would have appreciated to just dump it in and be done with it. Is the final product worth it? ABSOLUTELY. Just plan on spending an unreasonable amount of time rinsing this stuff off.

Pros: beautiful!, doesnt trap food/waste like gravel, easy to clean/maintain

Cons: pre-rinse is a pain, aggressive bottom dwellers kick this stuff around, expensive!!!!

+3points

4of 5voted this as helpful.