substrate question

[piao liang yu]

Someone local has some black sand to sell, but he says it has dafnia, worms and scuds in it. He says that is a good thing. It is only enough for a thin layer in my 60 gallon so i will have to cap it with something or use it as the cap. Is this something i should bother with? Can i plant anubias directly into this? Also, i read somewhere that sand can build up pockets of some type of toxic gas or something. How is this prevented?

 

[piao liang yu]

Someone local has some black sand to sell, but he says it has dafnia, worms and scuds in it. He says that is a good thing. It is only enough for a thin layer in my 60 gallon so i will have to cap it with something or use it as the cap. Is this something i should bother with? Can i plant anubias directly into this? Also, i read somewhere that sand can build up pockets of some type of toxic gas or something. How is this prevented?

Ok, I researched microfauna so I guess all that is good. I still need clarification on whether use of sand as a substrate is safe or not. Do I need to scrape/move it around once in a while?

 

[phin]

Many species of fish will turn the sand over themselves. Cichlids, corys, and others. You can also introduce some MTS (maylaysian trupmet snails) they do a good job of burrowning through the sand and keeping anaerobic spots from forming.

 

[aqua_chem]

You'll only run into issues with anaerobic pockets in sand if you have a thicker substrate, usually 2"+. If its less thick than that you probably don't have to worry about it. A far as the dangers of the critters that are coming its the sand, it entirely depends in what fish you stock. I wouldn't think it would be a huge problem. That being said, if you're still worried about it you can get more sand. PFS can be bought by the 50lbs bag for cheap.

 

[boadams87]

I've got sand in all my tanks, never had an issue.

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

Call me paranoid but I'd be worried about buying used substrate because you don't know if there could be potential parasites, pathogens, or any other critters that can cause fish diseases.. Might just be my ignorance.

But if it were my tank, if you want a nice looking dark substrate like black sand, get some Eco Complete or Floramax. If your on a budget, you can add a couple inches of organic miracle grow as the first layer then cap it with Eco Complete or Floramax to keep the 'dirt' down and contained. IMO, and from what I've read, these are great options for planted tank substrates.

PFS is good too, but I've only seen it in a light color. But yes, that's definitely an economical option.

 

[boadams87]

That could be a problem with used substrate but i would rinse it with a little bleach then rinse it over again.