Play sand in my peacock tank?

[91cichlid]

Can this work And what are the effects of using regular play sand from lowes or home depot?

 

[Skeletor18]

No effects at all. Wash it really well. It's pretty thin and dirty. Go with quikrete medium sand.

 

[Skeletor18]

Like this

 

[91cichlid]

Alright thanks! So does that mean i have to buffer my water to raise ph then? since i only use crushed coral and aragonite before but im upgrading to a 100g tank and wanted a cheaper alternative.

 

[erikmoseley]

Alright thanks! So does that mean i have to buffer my water to raise ph then? since i only use crushed coral and aragonite before but im upgrading to a 100g tank and wanted a cheaper alternative.

It depends what tap ph is. Give it a test and that should tell u if you need to buffer. I keep my ph at 7.8 or 8 and every water chance it dips to 7.2 or 7.4 so I add a couple teaspoons of buffer an it's good

 

[erikmoseley]

Alright thanks! So does that mean i have to buffer my water to raise ph then? since i only use crushed coral and aragonite before but im upgrading to a 100g tank and wanted a cheaper alternative.

Also look at pool filter sand. Unlike the color and texture better and it rinses easier

 

[Wolfsblood]

I use play sand in my peacock tank with no problems. I have never buffered my water either. 99% of cichlids you will find for sale are tank bred and used to different ph than their wild caught brethren. Stable Ph > Buffered ideal Ph with the possibility of swings imo.

 

[91cichlid]

Alright thanks guys! Im going to set up my 120 with play sand. 120 gallon peacocks, haps, bala sharks, a channel cat, a bichir and a pleco on top. On the bottom im going to run a 40 gallon breeder with shellies! Ill update with some pics as soon as i have eveything set up!