Hey all, I was wondering what you guys think are the pros/cons of having aragonite sand in a prop tank?

even though i'm gonna get my head bitten off for this i have a think layer of sand in mine and TONS of flow and haven't had any issues

corals are all doing just fine!

Sand is personal preference.

Pros, if you like the way sand looks, then you're happy. Cons, high flow could cause sand storms, and you will probably need critters to keep the sand cleaned, so it's just extra cost for the look of sand.

I would go with a bare bottom and makes things easy for yourself. Thats why you have a display .

i second the frag tank be bare bottom. makes it a lot easier. plus u dont risk kick up a sand storm and kill everything.

I think that depends on whether or not your prop tank is plumped into another established system, or has a sump with ample live rock and filtration. I think biology is a little more important than aesthetics.

+1, sand in a frag tank is not recommended since it can really limit your flow options, especially for zoanthids and SPS.

Its just not going to have a sump and I am worried about bio filtration and the buffering abilities.

if your worried about biofiltration you could arrange your racks so that you can have a few decently sized pieces of liverock under them and/or some kind of HOB refugium may it be complete setup from a site like dr.fs or a modded AC110

Sand is GREAT. It provides a huge amount of surface area for bacteria and also helps buffer the water/maintain some trace elements (although not completely).

As long as you use a medium grade sand and nothing like bahama oolite you shouldn't have a problem with sand blowing around unless you're shooting the flow down towards the sand.

The downside is putting frags directly on the sand sometimes gets it buried, in that case just raise it off the ground using egg crate and you're set.

Which is exactly the kind of turbulent flow you'd want in an SPS and zoanthids prop system. No dead spots, all flow, no sand. Get an HOB filter for sand and rock if need be...