Caribsea Arag-Alive Natural Reef 16 lbs

Natural Reef Arag-Alive! Live Aragonite Reef Sand contains millions of live bacteria to create a natural biological balance in your reef tank.

• Contains live bacteria to assist with a faster cycle
• Grain size: 3.0 – 5.0mm
• High Surface Area for Bacteria
• Largest variety of particle size

You can now bring the world’s most exotic reefs into your home with CaribSea’s Arag-Alive substrates. Eight environmentally accurate ecoscapes, developed through CaribSea’s cooperation with public aquariums and zoological parks where authenticity is a must, Arag-Alive makes any aquarium uniquely yours. Arag-Alive makes it easy to set up an aquarium. It’s ready to work, clears quickly, and contains millions of live bacteria to cycle super fast and create a natural biological balance. Arag-Alive suppresses the dreaded “new tank syndrome”, compresses the ammonia cycle, and discourages nuisance algae. In fact, independent labs prove Arag-Alive cycles days faster than other brands of live sand. That’s what makes Arag-Alive the choice of new aquarists and maintenance companies where speed of set up, beauty, and reliability are demanded.

In an ongoing effort to improve Arag-Alive and increase ease of use, the Bio-Magnet Clarifier is no longer in a packet inside the bag. Bio-Magnet Clarifier is now added directly to the packing solution. This will eliminate looking through the substrate for a packet and makes Arag-Alive even easier to use.

Setup & Use

Do not rinse it. Rinsing washes out both the live bacteria you are paying for and the packing solution that keeps them alive. Pour it straight in.

Spread it across the base of the tank, stand a plate or shallow bowl on the substrate, and fill slowly onto that so the bed is not blown apart. Cloudiness settles within a few hours to a day once filtration is running.

At 3.0–5.0 mm this is the coarsest grade in the Arag-Alive range, and that changes how it is kept. It will not blow around under strong flow, which makes it a good choice beneath powerheads. But detritus falls down between the grains rather than sitting on top, so plan on siphoning the bed rather than leaving it undisturbed. It is also the wrong grain for sand-sifting gobies and wrasses, which need fine sand to burrow and sift — choose a 0.5–2.0 mm grade if you keep them.

Freshness & Storage

Every batch we dispatch carries a minimum of 6 months’ remaining shelf life. Store this product in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight, with the cap or inner foil closed tightly after each use.

Filter media and substrates carry no manufacturing or expiry date — their working life begins on first contact with water, not on the shelf.

Returns & Replacement

Returns are accepted within 7 days of delivery, provided the item is unused and in its original packaging. Manufacturer-sealed items cannot be returned once the seal is broken, and sale-priced items are not refundable.

If your item arrives defective or damaged, message us on WhatsApp with your order number, or email us if you would rather, and we will replace it. Approved replacements are delivered within 3 to 5 business days. Transit damage is covered by insurance on every shipment. If tracking shows delivered but nothing reached you, tell us within 72 hours, which is the reporting window Indian couriers allow. Damage caused during installation or use is not covered; replacement spares for such cases are chargeable.

Full terms are on our Cancellation & Returns page.