Flourite Black Sand

[Tifta]

I was going to end up buying some black Tahitian Moon sand for my ten gallon tank. That was before I decided that I was going to change my 5g planted tank and make my 10g tank the planted tank. I found this stuff called flourite black sand. Has anyone tried it out? Do I have to mix the flourite with gravel? Or can I use all of it in the tank without mixing.

I am beginning to wonder if I think too much. :/

 

[Purrbox]

Flourite doesn't need to be mixed with anything. It's a plant substrate that can be used all on it's own. Generally you want to ensure that any plant substrate is at least 50% of your total substrate so that you aren't wasting your money by overly diluting it.

 

[Tifta]

Thanks, I just wanted to make sure. I can't find Flourite black sand at any LFS so I am gonna have to order online. :/ Big Al's online has a good price for it for 15.99 it's a 15 lbs bag. I think I will only need one for a ten gallon tank?

 

[meegosh]

You may need another bag. I have 26 lbs of gravel in my 10g, and that gave me about 2" of substrate. You may need closer to 30 for a decent bed for your roots to grab hold. I'm sure others who are more familiar with planted setups will help you.

 

[Tifta]

I already ordered one bag, and will wait to see how much it will give me. It's black sand, so i might end up mixing with a bag of gravel if I don't have enough for the tank.

 

[Atl300zx]

you'll be fine and if u need it a little deeper, just cut it a bit with ur existing sand. I combined black sand with eco-complete.

 

[JustOneMore20]

You should be fine with just one bag. I put one bag of the Flourite sand in my 10g and put a thin layer in the front, sloping to the back. Unless you have heavy rooting plants like swords or large crypts, you should be fine. Mine is holding stem plants in just fine.

 

[Tifta]

I added the flourite bag last night and this morning the water is still pretty murky. You think it would be alright to add my fish? Or should I wait till the water has cleared up. I have no where to put them right now except a glass bowl.

I washed that sand about 50 times and it seems like it didn't do anything.

 

[Atl300zx]

murky will be fine as long as the cycle has completed.

 

[Tifta]

it's been cycled for about 7 months so I should be alright I am testing just to make sure i don't get a mini cycle. Everything so far seems normal. I am just having a huge problem with getting rid of the rest of the haze in the water it isn't clearing up. I did put a few drops of crystal clear in, but it doesn't seem to be helping.

 

[Atl300zx]

did u rinse the Flourite?

 

[Purrbox]

Flourite is VERY dusty. It should start to settle in a day or two.

Don't add chemicals to clear the water as these can damage fish gils. The chemicals clear the water by making them stick together forming larger particles that are easier for your filter to pick up. This can also cause the gils to stick together.

You may want to check your filter. The mechanical media may need a good rinse in dechlorinated water to clear it of all the gunk its been clearing out of the water. This would help speed up the process of clearing your water.

Most fish don't live in crystal clear water. They'll be perfectly fine with the murky water, it'll just be a bit harder to see them.

 

[Tifta]

Atl300- I washed it about 50 times, still very very dusty.

Purr - well a little too late for adding the crystal clear. :/ I have big pieces of particles sitting on the bottom of the floor. It still looks pretty murky. I think I will take your advice and clean the filter out tonight, and vacuum the bottom a little to get rid of some of the particles. Is rinsing out the filter going to hurt my bacteria? I didn't have a mini cycle at all when I put the new flourite in. All my tests look all normal.

 

[Purrbox]

As long as you're using dechlorinated water to rinse the filter and just swish it about to remove the muck, it shouldn't hurt your cycle at all.

 

[Atl300zx]

can i leave water out overnight to dechlor it? i usually only rinse out the filter pads and never rise the bacterial "farms" on the biostones. I just did a partial substrate swap and my water is still a little cloudy after 2 days (used flourite)

 

[Purrbox]

can i leave water out overnight to dechlor it?

Only if your water treatment is using Chlorine and not Chloramine. While Chlorine will gas off overnight, Chloramine does not (which is part of why more and more treatment plants are using it). Also even if your water treatment plant is using Chlorine now, they could switch to Chloramine in the future without warning. This has happened to many aquarist with unfortunate results. Best to use a dechlorinator that treats both and know you're covered.

 

[Atl300zx]

Easy enough, i already have some liquid decholor, just was trying to save a few bucks and not use it if not needed.

 

[WhiteDevil]

you might be having a bacteria bloom.....especially if you arent done cycling yet. I just went thru one a few weeks ago, its barely hazy but still hazy and my levels are near steady to steady.