# Tropic Isle Tahitian Moon Sand and Corydoras



## iceprizm (Aug 7, 2008)

my LFS recommended Tahitian Moon Sand and claimed it would be ok with corydoras.
Caribsea says TMS is not "soft belly safe" CaribSea Super Naturals | Marine Sand | Tahitian Moon | Torpedo Beach | Rio Grand | Amazon | Ramblin Rose | Kon Tiki | Zebra | Peace River
any idea what they mean ?

so is anyone using TMS with cories?

is this combination recommended or not?


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## Tyyrlym (Jun 1, 2008)

I have that brand and style of sand in my Eclipse tank at work, no cories though. It's a relatively fine grain but more jagged than say a play sand. I honestly wouldn't hesitate to put cories in a tank with it.


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## iceprizm (Aug 7, 2008)

i asked Caribsea about this, here is their response:

Tahitian Moon is very sharp. That being said I have never really heard of any issues with cories on it. We must however take a “safe” stance so that we don’t recommend anything that can be potentially harmful.
Jud McCracken
Product Support,
CaribSea, Inc.
772-461-1113 ext 14
[email protected]


i decided to play it safe and bought 2 bags of 3M Colorquartz black grade S. havent put it in yet, but it is much softer than TMS.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

I read a recent article concerning various substrates and effects on bottom dwellers such as corys. Of all the substrates mentioned.,, Tahitian moon sand is said to be a by product of glass production and was roundly booed as suitable for corys.,plecos,and loaches.


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## iceprizm (Aug 7, 2008)

1077 said:


> Tahitian moon sand is said to be a by product of glass production and was roundly booed as suitable for corys.,plecos,and loaches.


does that mean its not a good idea for bottom dwellers?


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## ThePearlFish (Mar 31, 2009)

Arrgghh.. I just went out and bought a bag of the moon sand because of the fact that i am going to be getting corys and opened it so i could start washing it, and now i hear that it isnt safe. or rather it "could" be potentially harmful. it is very frustrating when i get conflicting views and i dont know which to go with. plus this was also after i bought gravel that was too sharp, so i cannot return the gravel either because it was opened. sigh. i do not know what to do. although if some people have used it without harm i might just go ahead and use it because i'd rather use the sand that i purchased as opposed to the sharp chunks of gravel i got.

~TPF


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## whitedevil (Apr 24, 2009)

I have kuhlis and peppered cories with the tahitian moon sand, there have been no issues AT all with it being sharp. 

I had no clue it was sharp, no disclaimer on my bag. Its actually a very fine sand, not gritty nor sharp. I have my hands in it ever weekend turning and cleaning the sand and I honestly cant even tell there is sand there. I got it with kuhlis and cories in mind due to it being super fine and very soft.


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## iceprizm (Aug 7, 2008)

from what i have read and heard the tms should be ok with cories. i decided to play it on the safe side and am going to try torpedo beach sand instead of tms. i also got the tbs 50lbs cheaper than what the tms 20lbs costs.


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## whitedevil (Apr 24, 2009)

Who makes it, I need some more tomorrow.


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## iceprizm (Aug 7, 2008)

tms and tbs are both made by caribsea.
CaribSea Super Naturals | Marine Sand | Tahitian Moon | Torpedo Beach | Rio Grand | Amazon | Ramblin Rose | Kon Tiki | Zebra | Peace River

torpedo beach is the next grain size up from moon sand, but it is bottom dweller safe.


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## travcoe (May 10, 2008)

I think when it comes down to it, sand is sand and people get too caught up in all the technicalities. I have Tahitian Moon Sand in my planted 29 and my khulis and pleco are all doing great. The sand looks awesome as well.
I recommend it for sure.


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## 1077 (Apr 16, 2008)

travcoe said:


> I think when it comes down to it, sand is sand and people get too caught up in all the technicalities. I have Tahitian Moon Sand in my planted 29 and my khulis and pleco are all doing great. The sand looks awesome as well.
> I recommend it for sure.


Not all sand is sand suitable for all fish.There is marine sand,and sand that contains minerals best suited for fish that prefer hard alkaline water such as ciclhlids. Some sand contains mortar and or lime used in construction.
For most tropical freshwater species,PLAYSAND or POOL FILTER sand would be desireable.


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## whitedevil (Apr 24, 2009)

I was always told to stay away from silica sand in a habitat be it water or air.

Im content with my sand, it looks great, is easy to clean and the bottom dwellers LOVE it.


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## travcoe (May 10, 2008)

1077 said:


> Not all sand is sand suitable for all fish.There is marine sand,and sand that contains minerals best suited for fish that prefer hard alkaline water such as ciclhlids. Some sand contains mortar and or lime used in construction.
> For most tropical freshwater species,PLAYSAND or POOL FILTER sand would be desireable.


You're right, I worded that terribly. I'm aware of the different types of sand for different aquariums and fish. I meant as far as just plain old aquarium safe sand goes, sharpness shouldn't really be a big issue.


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