Setting up a sand aquarium

[Ceej]

I've got a 10 gallon tank sitting around and I really want to start a Dwarf Puffer tank with a sand substrate. Never used sand before, but I've read up on it and know about the gas pockets that can occur and how dirty white sand (which is what I want) can look. They say the less sand, the better. So should I put 1/2" to 1" of peat down then 1" of Petco white sand or whatever brand I decide to lower the chance of harmful gas pockets?
I also want to try it planted. Low light plants like java fern I was thinking.
The hood has an incandescent, but I'm going to upgrade it to a fluorescent. The current bulb gets way too hot anyway. Any ideas on lighting? Takes two small bulbs.
As for the sand, I was looking for input from people who have had success with sand bottoms and who can lead me in the right direction.

 

[medic747]

I love sand but im a SW guy have never tried it in a FW system if you need answers this is the place to find it. good luck.

 

[Ceej]

I love sand but im a SW guy have never tried it in a FW system if you need answers this is the place to find it. good luck.

If the SW side of the hobby wasn't expensive, I'd give it a try on my 10g.

 

[medic747]

Yeah my 10 gal reef has cost about 600 dollars

 

[Ceej]

Yeah my 10 gal reef has cost about 600 dollars

Nooooo thank you. Haha. Way too much right now. Do you have just a layer of sand by itself?

 

[joejeff]

Sand can be bad for plants. Consider soil or a quality strate under sand for plants.

 

[manmythlegend]

I've grown plants in sand for years with no issues. I did have Flourite underneath the sand originally but inevitably it got mixed in with the sand. Maybe that's the secret?

 

[F-8 pufferman]

Recently set up my sand bottom 10-gal I recomend soaking and rinsing the sand before you add it to your tank. Also be sure to check your water peramiters after the sand has been added as some types of sand have been known to mess up your water chemistry. best of luck and gatta love the puffers. I have a figure-8 and a green spotted puffer there great.

 

[Ceej]

Would you guys suggest something like peat underneath the sand then? I appreciate your input a lot!

 

[Reygan2]

As for the sand, I was looking for input from people who have had success with sand bottoms and who can lead me in the right direction.[/QUOTE]

Just switched to sand a few weeks ago and I'm loving it. I used pool filter sand I bought from Home Depot. 5 bucks for a 50 lb bag. It's not white, but it is a really light, natural color. No live plants yet, but I'm planning on trying it soon.
I too was worried about changing to sand, but I've heard from several people on here that haven't had any issues with toxic gas bubbles.

Rinse, rinse, rinse!

Here's a pic, like I said, it's not white, but it is a really light color.

 

[F-8 pufferman]

great pic love the sandy bottom.

 

[joejeff]

I've grown plants in sand for years with no issues. I did have Flourite underneath the sand originally but inevitably it got mixed in with the sand. Maybe that's the secret?

Most likely the mixture of texture is preventing the sand from settling too much. When sand settles to hard it may form a layer of dry sand at bottom which can hurt roots...

 

[Reygan2]

great pic love the sandy bottom.

Thank you, I'll never use gravel again. I like the pool filter sand because the grain is a little larger, making it heavier. So if it gets disturbed it sinks instead of destroying my filters.

 

[hippy guy]

God sand kills filters! I used pantyhose for awhile, but ive found it kinda slows the intake of my filter, which cant be good for it.... but yes.. sand is the best, minus the filter death its caused me haha

 

[Ceej]

I like that sand bottom a lot. Petco wants $15 for their white sand. Way too much money. I'll drive the extra 10 miles to Menards or Home Depot.

 

[hippy guy]

Yeah home depot has 50 lb for mega cheap. Thats the way to go, tbh, pool filtersand is good, and keeps forever (its sand) and everyone always needs sand for more tanks

 

[DragonFish71]

Don't buy the lfs sands, they are usually too fine a grit. PFS is much better and cheaper. I get mine at a pool supply store because the hardware stores out here only have play ground sand. Play ground sand is also too fine and will compact.

For my sand tanks, I use a layer of Flora Base between layers of sand. My plants love it. Since all the waste is on the surface of the sand, it's easy to clean. My sand tanks have been set up for over 2 years now, I vacuum the sand just like gravel and rake it. For the planted spots I just skim over the sand so as not to disturb the layer of Flora Base.

 

[Ceej]

Don't buy the lfs sands, they are usually too fine a grit. PFS is much better and cheaper. I get mine at a pool supply store because the hardware stores out here only have play ground sand. Play ground sand is also too fine and will compact.

For my sand tanks, I use a layer of Flora Base between layers of sand. My plants love it. Since all the waste is on the surface of the sand, it's easy to clean. My sand tanks have been set up for over 2 years now, I vacuum the sand just like gravel and rake it. For the planted spots I just skim over the sand so as not to disturb the layer of Flora Base.

Do put down sand then flora base, then sand again? 1/2" or 1" per layer?

 

[manmythlegend]

I do believe the trick is to keep the sand on the shallow side and to have some sort of stock in the tank to keep it stirred up so that pockets don't develop.

 

[Ceej]

Floramax on bottom with sand on top? Would that work?