That is a pretty good idea.
I wanted to eliminate the time the fish were in the temp tank. That why i did it the way i did.
Just keep in mind that this stuff is really hard to rinse.
The pillow thing sounds real good.
sand
- Thread starter TankBoss
- Start date
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That is a pretty good idea.
I wanted to eliminate the time the fish were in the temp tank. That why i did it the way i did.
Just keep in mind that this stuff is really hard to rinse.
The pillow thing sounds real good.
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TankBoss
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I'll definitely be rinsing it before I put it into the tank. Just like hdultra, I want the fish in the temp tank for as short a time as possible.
Glad I called petsmart today because they only had one bag of my sand coming in on Wed so I put in a special order for three (that will be 5 20lb bags total)... anyway, that means it won't be until the following Wed that I am able to to the change.
Glad I called petsmart today because they only had one bag of my sand coming in on Wed so I put in a special order for three (that will be 5 20lb bags total)... anyway, that means it won't be until the following Wed that I am able to to the change.
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TankBoss
Aquarium Advice FINatic
hdultra said:
You mean that you won't be able to do all the heavy lifting?
Haha. Cool, thanks. Oh! Do I just start with a completely fresh tank of water after I get my tank ready? Just water, prime, switch it on?
Yes You can do that, If you wanted to also save some of your old water you could do that too. I started with all new water. Make sure the water your putting in is close to what your regular water temp is going to be. Prime would be a good addition. Your PH after you get the water in will be around 7.8 to 8.2. Also depends on you tap water.
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TankBoss
Aquarium Advice FINatic
hdultra said:
Tap here is 7.
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
I'll never buy in to that marketed sand. Pool Filter Sand is IMO the best all around substrate for any FW tank (non planted, but still does great with plants). I buy mine at Meijer for $1.99 a bag (50lbs). It doesn't take much to get it clean, is super easy to vac during a water change, and just looks really natural IMO. My africans love it.
As I've said many times before, Africans naturally come from waters with a very high pH (8+). Unless you're buying wild caught fish, they didn't come from those lakes. They came from tanks or breeding farms. Most captive raised fish come from tanks with a much lower pH than in the wild. I have never used any buffers, special substrates, or any pH altering anything. My fish are thriving, breeding often, and look great. If you're feeding a good quality food like NLS cichlid formula, keep up on your water changes, provide plenty of cover, and have a stable pH of 7 or more, you're going to be just fine. Those special substrates are not needed and simply a waste of money IMO.
As I've said many times before, Africans naturally come from waters with a very high pH (8+). Unless you're buying wild caught fish, they didn't come from those lakes. They came from tanks or breeding farms. Most captive raised fish come from tanks with a much lower pH than in the wild. I have never used any buffers, special substrates, or any pH altering anything. My fish are thriving, breeding often, and look great. If you're feeding a good quality food like NLS cichlid formula, keep up on your water changes, provide plenty of cover, and have a stable pH of 7 or more, you're going to be just fine. Those special substrates are not needed and simply a waste of money IMO.
SteveChiller
Aquarium Advice Regular
how fine is that pool filter sand? I have play sand in my 14g and I dunno if I like how fine it is. I'd like something a little less fine.
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
It is significantly larger than play sand. It's heavy enough that i can shove the gravel vac down in it, and it only sucks up a few grains in to the hose. It's fine enough that the fish can sift through it to find food if it makes it down there.
Everyone has there opinion. But this stuff is awesome looking. And not all the fish are raised in a farm of 7.0 PH. IMO I think it's really cool you having great success. I'm not sure about your lfs, but mine say's his supplier gets them straight from the lakes. True or not I'm not going to call him a lier. This substrate does not need buffers and or all that other crap now on the market for cichlid's. But as for me without doing anything but water changes the Ph stays near 8 which is my preference. No adjustments necessary. That's why I like it, and it looks great. I guess I'm glad that I have the money to waste.
But i do appreciate your opinion. Thanks
mfdrookie516
Aquarium Free - 2+ Years
If your LFS is getting them straight from the lakes, you're paying A LOT for your fish. Wild Caught fish are quite pricey, especially compared to farm raised fish that go for $5-10 a fish on average. Even F1 fish are expensive. If you're paying less than $25+ per fish, they're not wild caught.
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TankBoss
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Same. I compared this sand to the others and prefer the looks so much that I'm willing to pay the money. I would have gone a cheaper route if I had multiple tanks or anything over 100 gal but for my 55 it only hurts a little.
Mine were allot more than $5-10. When I was at Petsmart looking theres were $5-10.
I hear ya shipping cost would be very high to get them over here.
Maybe he's gouging people ? or not telling the truth ? hmmm
Here's my LFS Store http://www.facebook.com/pages/Malawi-Aquatics/286366101969
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TankBoss
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Good to go Wed for sure, maybe even Sun. I'm stoked on it! I've been all over sand for better than a week and I have what I want. I'll also be applying a black background during the switch. I'll post a before and after.
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TankBoss
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Yes! Stoked It's Sand Day! I'll probably start the job when my boy naps, around 2pm pacific.
Take before and after pic's.
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TankBoss
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Yups. Ready for it.
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