stupid question of sand & rock

[arrow1234]

hi people

if i want to add sand in my tank(established), will the sand be too fine or too big that the fishy will choke after swallowing them?

my aquarium is freshwater, will sand be a good choice? or no, sand is only for marine? same question as rocks, can rocks go into freshwater tank?

if i buy sand and rocks from LFS, will the Live sand/rock carry some unwanted bacteria to my freshwater tank? (since Live sand/rocks are for marine only ????)
or can i just goto the beach or construction site to pick up loads of sand?

 

[bman]

What kind of substrate do you have currently? Do you want to replace it or just add sand on top of it, or mix it in?

You can buy sand at the LFS but it way over priced. Many people have used pool filter sand available at your local pool store. You have go through and wash it thoroughly, but it is coarse and uniform in size. Construction and play sand can be too fine and too dirty to properly clean. (I have never heard of "live" sand)

To add the washed sand in, I would remove the fish to your clean water change bucket temporarily while you add the sand. Even well washed sand will cloud the water for a little while, but after the major dust settles it is OK to add the fish back in.

I would not put "live" rocks from the pet store meant for salt water in there, but you can put almost any plain "dead" rock in with no problems, just make sure you clean it well first.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

No, your fish will not swallow it. They may take it in their mouth and spit it out or push it through their gills but it won't harm anything. Sand is a great substrate for freshwater tanks, I don't use gravel at all. You can definately use rocks but make sure they will not alter your water chemistry. Do you have any particular rocks in mind?

Do not buy live sand/rock. Those are for marine tanks. You can purchase sand from your local pool store. Just ask for pool filter sand. It is a LOT cheaper (between $5 to $10/ 50 lb bag) than the stuff you'll find at the lfs and is quite a bit heavier. Heavier sand is a LOT easier to work with than the light weight stuff. I would avoid sand at beaches and construction sites. That sand is most likely contaminated. Play sand is fine, but make sure it does not have chemicals that have been added to it. It is going to be quite a bit darker than pfs though.

To wash the sand fill a 5 gal bucket 1/2 full of sand. Stick the garden hose in the bucket. Let it overflow with water then start swishing the sand around in the bucket with the hose. Stir it up and get all the way down to the bottom. It will be cloudy for the first few minutes. Keep stiring and overflowing until the overflow water is clear.

 

[JDogg]

I have play sand in my ACF tank and silica sand in my GBR tank. i do not recommend silica sand, it is too white and gets "dirty" fast. but i like the look of the play sand (after 3 cleanings and 24 hours to settle out)

 

[Sabrehorn]

I have an UGF in my 20h and have been told in these forums that it really isn't necessary. So, I have decided not to put them in my 45 and 55. But, call me paranoid, I am afraid or cracking the bottom glass with the gravel. So, after reading the above posts, I had an idea. Is it possible to put a small layer of aquarium sand below the gravel? Will this cause any problems with water quality, like trap ammonia?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The gravel will not crack the glass. If you're really concerned, you could put a piece of egg crate on the bottom of the tank. You can find it at places like Home Depot or Lowes back by the lighting section. We use that in our African cichlid tank in case the africans dig out too much and cause the rock structure to fall.

 

[arrow1234]

ok thank you, here is always a good place to ask. ty again
so i just filter the sand for a several time, like 10-20 times until the water remain see-through, also from the filtration, i get all the fine sand(very tiny ones that feels smooth on my hand), am i good to go now?

i want to mix this sand with my gravel, so 1 side will be all gravel, the other side will be all the fine sand, there is a fading at the middle



ye, the gravel we can buy in LFS wont break the tank, they are not like 5,10 Kilogram rocks......however, i think the sand may scratch your tank bottom to dull, because during my filtration of the sand, i stir the sand vigorously and it comes out that the buttom of my plastic 4g tank(another individual tank) looks blur/dull, or maybe because its plastic lol

 

[tropicfishman]

the sand should be fine