question about sand

[kingcrab]

I never had sand in any tank i owned but i am thinking about it. It looks good, but i want to know what im up against. is it a pain in the bass when you are vaccuming your tank ???. and will plants grow well in sand???..i am almost ready to start up my tank, how much sand or how many inches should i put in my tank?..i am going to do a planted tank this time around and i will buy the low light plants and some moss .i have read alot about it on this site,and well just let me know the pros and cons about it. by the way my tank is freshwater and i will be getting the pool filter sand from homey depot... thanks so much guys and gals

 

[alex07]

I never had sand in any tank i owned but i am thinking about it. It looks good, but i want to know what im up against. is it a pain in the bass when you are vaccuming your tank ???. and will plants grow well in sand???..i am almost ready to start up my tank, how much sand or how many inches should i put in my tank?..i am going to do a planted tank this time around and i will buy the low light plants and some moss .i have read alot about it on this site,and well just let me know the pros and cons about it. by the way my tank is freshwater and i will be getting the pool filter sand from homey depot... thanks so much guys and gals

Actually it's easier to clean,everything stay on top. Plants do grow well buried in pool filter sand. Many people on this forum including myself use pfs. All you need is about 2" of sand.

 

[Tigroscr]

Yeah pfs is IMO the way to go! Easier to clean, looks nice and my fish like it better. After having pfs would never go back to gravel!

 

[Rhino]

I think it is way easier to keep. Like others said crud sits on top and it is so much cheaper than gravel.

 

[kingcrab]

 

[GodFan]

Is silca sand ok?

 

[kingcrab]

i just did pfs from home depot...rinsed it in a five gallon bucket..and bam my tank looks great and my water is crystal clear

 

[GodFan]

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!

 

[TankMan]

Is silca sand ok?

silica sand is not good for the tank (I THINK). i may get hammered for giving false information. so this is my disclaimer (hehe). but just putting in my two cents....

 

[jetajockey]

Most sands are silica based.

 

[TankMan]

GodFan........ my point exactly. =) ^

 

[GodFan]

silica sand is not good for the tank (I THINK). i may get hammered for giving false information. so this is my disclaimer (hehe). but just putting in my two cents....

Why is it bad??

 

[TankMan]

It's not bad. Don't take my word for it. Take the experts! I was wrong. Sorry.

 

[jcolon]

Why is it bad??

Most sand that we purchase for home use is silica sand which really is ideal for aquariums. Silica sand is basically inert in water ... both chemically and physically tough, resistant to water's harshness (it is a universal solvent).

 

[ashleynicole]

I absolutely LOVE sand substrate. Back in the day ... lol ... I converted all my tanks over to sand, It was a pain at that time but totally worth it. I got snails for my sand though, what were they, these special little spiral snails that would come out at night. And I had some clown loaches to keep the snail population in check.