Thinking of converting to sand bottom...

[Guest]

I was just considering the idea of converting to sand as substrate rather than gravel. I was just looking for some input as to what kind, etc. I have never had a sand bottom before, so any help is much appreciated. Thanks

 

[Zagz]

I use pool filter sand, it looks like beach sand and is cheaper than aquarium sand.

 

[Logan]

I use to have a sand substrate but switched to gravel. I had a prefilter sponge on the intake of my filter. I didn't like the way it looked so that's the only reason I switched.

I had tahitian moon sand http://www.bigalsonline.com/catalog/product.xml?product_id=20545;category_id=2409 I liked the look of it. You're suppose to stir the sand every now and then to keep anaerobic gases from forming.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I also use pool filter sand. It's heavy so you don't have to really worry about it getting sucked up into the filter. And its very cheap

 

[Guest]

also if you got some MTS you don't have to worry as much about stirring it up because they do it for you

 

[mr funktastic]

i just switched 2 of my tanks to sand and i love it. i also use pool filter sand and have had no problems with my filters. it is usually a real nice white colour but u can also get brown stuff. it cost me $7.50 for 50 pounds of it so cheaper is an understatement compared to aquarium sand. what size of tank are u converting? also what kind of fish? if you have fish that produce alot of waste u wont want to get the white stuff and would be better off with a darker coloured aquarium sand. hth

 

[Aquarium Freak]

I agree with the pool sand also that is what I use in my 10g.
Good Luck

 

[Andos99]

I use pool filter sand myself....it has it's pros and cons. Cons - You get a diatom algae build up if you don't do frequent water changes and mix the sand well. Compared to regular gravel, vaccuming is a pain in the butt. Other then that....I like it.

 

[chrism]

Not 100% sure what type of sand i've got as i had it specially ordered in for me and didnt have any labels or anything on the bag, but it's a dark grey and was really cheap, had to get a 10kg bag of the stuff dnt think it cost me much more than a tenner...


I prefer it, any waste sits on the top, i dnt find vacuming that much of a problem, waving it in little circles works well for me, also i've got MTS so no stirring required

oh and plants love it!

 

[madchild24]

I agree with the pool sand also

All my tanks are sand

 

[greenmaji]

pool filter sand seems to be the most popular choice (I think its easy to find for most people) but some members use sand blasting grit/sand.. and they produse a black version of it.. (travis_simons has some in his 125 ARLC planted tank) HTH

 

[Guest]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I have some new plans for my tank, just a matter of waiting on another paycheck now, lol. I have decided to switch to sand-bottom, and take a stab at a planted tank with a DIY CO2 system. A buddy of mine, Jrp1588, made a homemade CO2 system, so I can probably get him to help me out. I know I saw a CO2 system for sale at my lfs, I think it was a Hagen brand for about 30 bucks. Does anyone know if this works well or not? Do you think a DIY system would be better? TIA

 

[rich311k]

DIY does the same thing. Much cheaper and works just as well. It is not hard to do. I did it and I can barely change a light bulb.

 

[greenmaji]

I think the DIY CO2 system thats advised here is better engineered then the hagan system.. the gas seperatior in the system is something the hagan's system doesnt come with, and a few problems have come up here on the board were having one would have prevented the problem in the fist place.. HTH