Substrate?

[MizTanks]

What kind to use and why? Yes I'm shopping again I bought live sand for my 8g and it was ok until i got my pistol shrimp, now the sand is everywhere. But I do like how the little critters can borrow within it. I also like how clean it looks.

[Wy Renegade]

Jamie,

Choice of substrate IMO is really dictated by what you presonally enjoy and the livestock you want to keep. Part of why doing research is so important in this hobby. Do pistol shrimp get sand all over everything in your tank? Yes they do, but you also can't keep one successfully without some sand or other protection on the bottom of the tank, as larger pistol shrimp may crack the bottom. If you don't like the sand everywhere, have you tried making it a preengineered tunnel out of PVC pipe?

[MizTanks]

With the amount of research I've done, I could probably write a book of more questions on any given subject. Still for me, seeing and hearing what others have done, are doing, helps more because I'm an *on the job training* person.

With that said, I'm still looking for what others use, have used and what they've found to be the best. I read an article on Reef-Eden about the benefits of a DSB and the types of substrates that work best. Very informative but a little overwhelming.

Anyways I want the best substrate for the my tank. For the critters that live within it and for those who like to sift through it.

[Sir Patrick]

I am figuring, for your needs/situation, a shallow sand bed would be best.

Easy to clean/maintain, good for your goby and shrimp. I like the burried pvc idea!

[Wy Renegade]

Originally Posted by MizTanks

With the amount of research I've done, I could probably write a book of more questions on any given subject. Still for me, seeing and hearing what others have done, are doing, helps more because I'm an *on the job training* person.

With that said, I'm still looking for what others use, have used and what they've found to be the best. I read an article on Reef-Eden about the benefits of a DSB and the types of substrates that work best. Very informative but a little overwhelming.

Anyways I want the best substrate for the my tank. For the critters that live within it and for those who like to sift through it.

Well, if you're looking for a substrate for critters to live within and sift through, you are pretty much limited to sand. CC which is the only other option doesn't really provide a liveable environment. That means you need to decide between a DSB and a SSB. Most research I've done on DSBs indicated that they have very limited benefits in a small tank, although I do run them in a couple 20gal Longs. Be careful with the "sifters" as they can often be detrimental to your sandbed.

[creefer]

burried pvc is great. I put some in my tank for a future jawfish and my algae blenny hangs out in there.

[MizTanks]

How big of PVC? I like this idea too. I bought 2x15lbs of arganite substrate-one they call sugar but looks bigger then sugar to. More like a mix and the other is a little bigger. I may need another bag or two for a two inch SB.
Thanks guys for the input-means a lot to me