plant substrate

[fishfanatic]

A Guy at the LPS told me that sand would crush the roots of plants what do you guys think of that?

 

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

A Guy at the LPS told me that sand would crush the roots of plants what do you guys think of that?

its a lie fort n mfd have been usein pfs for ever with no issues

 

[fishfanatic]

Does pfs come in different colors or how is it sold?

 

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

im not sure about diff colors i think it only comes in that white sand color and its sold as pool filter sand lol check your home depos lowes pool supply stores its usualy 5-10 bucks per 50lb bbag

 

[fort384]

It is pretty much white in color. And some sand will crush roots. PFS will not. compact. It is designed not to do so, that is why it is used to filter pools.

 

[fishfanatic]

I imagine I will have to rense all of it off before putting it in the tank?

 

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

I imagine I will have to rense all of it off before putting it in the tank?

yes this part can be tiresome

 

[fishfanatic]

A few more questions... how thick would the sand need to be for plants? Do I still use my gravel cleaner while doing water changes? Does it get green in color form algae or will this not be a problem?

 

[fort384]

2-3" is fine.

Yes to the gravel cleaner (although it might take a slightly different technique)

And no it won't get green unless you are doing something wrong.

 

[mfdrookie516]

rinsing is easy. put it in the tank, put 4-6" of water on it, stir it up real good, drain, repeat until clean... usually only twice or 3 times

 

[fishfanatic]

Is this like a fine sand that you would find at the beach or is it more course?

 

[xxwolfpackof1xx]

A few more questions... how thick would the sand need to be for plants? Do I still use my gravel cleaner while doing water changes? Does it get green in color form algae or will this not be a problem?

i think a 2" sand bed would be enough and im not to sure bout the grav vac and it should turn green but you may encounter diatoms

 

[Moochyesh]

Ive been using black sand and none of my plants have problems rooting. Also have been doing mineralized topsoil for a while and its pretty good.

 

[fishfanatic]

Is pfs a fine sand or is it more course. I am worried about the gravel vac sucking up all the sand

 

[mfdrookie516]

A gravel vac wont suck it up. Its not fine at all.

 

[fishfanatic]

When I heard the word sand I thought of sand that you would put in a sand box. It is not like that? Could you give me an estate of how big its is?

 

[mfdrookie516]

No, i have no clue. its significantly larger than play sand or beach sand. I assure you, it wont get sucked up in a gravel vac, it wont compress, it wont cause gas pockets, and it wont kill your plants

 

[fishfanatic]

I was just reading online about a Guy that had pfs and he said he would not get it again because " it does not stay white forever and it looks messy after long term use". I do a 5 gallon water change once a week will this keep the sand looking nice and white for years?

 

[mfdrookie516]

It hasn't happened to me. I can only speak for myself. Take what you read online with a grain of salt. Often, people post things with no experience with it. I can tell you, I've had pool filter sand in my aquariums for 2 years now, and I know people who have had it much longer than that, and never experienced any problems. How well you maintain your tank may have an impact on the color of the substrate. The less gravel vacs and water changes you do, the more likely you are to get algae and crud build up.

 

[fishfanatic]

Thank you so much for all your help. I realty like the look for pfs so I will just get it and use plant tabs and flourish products... does this would like a good plan?