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[Dreamwallaby]

I am so happy to have found this forum and all the enthusiasts willing to answer questions. Thank you!!
I have gravel on the bottom of the tank and was think of adding sand to it since the gravel level is low I want the plants to do well. I have half a bag of children's play sand from home depot. That's ok right as long as I rinse it really well? I want to mix it with the gravel.
Also, when I do water changes, do I still vacuum the substrate now that I have plants?

 

[librarygirl]

What plants do you have? Plain sand alone won't benefit plants any more than gravel would. Plus the sand is likely to just fall through the gravel. I would still vacuum the substrate, yes. I do. Just go around the plants.

 

[jcolon]

I am so happy to have found this forum and all the enthusiasts willing to answer questions. Thank you!!
I have gravel on the bottom of the tank and was think of adding sand to it since the gravel level is low I want the plants to do well. I have half a bag of children's play sand from home depot. That's ok right as long as I rinse it really well? I want to mix it with the gravel.
Also, when I do water changes, do I still vacuum the substrate now that I have plants?

I personally recommend Pool Filter Sand. It's a bit coarser than playsand which means it'll settle to the bottom better. Playsand, depending on how fine, can cloud up easily.

As was mentioned, the sand will eventually fall through the cracks / gaps between the gravel particles (what I did). One benefit of sand along with gravel is that it helps to anchor roots better. As also mentioned, you should still gravel vac ... just lightly in areas around the plants. I personally hover the vac an inch or two above the substrate to grab any large waste I see. I never stick the vac into the substrate next to the plants. You'd vacuum up dirt / waste that have some nutrients the plants need.

 

[jlk]

+1 on the pfs!

Just be aware that you cant really 'mix' gravel and sand. What will happen in no time is that all of the gravel will migrate to the top of the sand and you will wind up with a bottom layer of sand with gravel just sitting on top of it.

 

[Dreamwallaby]

I have 2 Java ferns, 1 red fox tail and 1 green fox tail. Also some type of grass looking plant that began with a K that I can't remember the name now.