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I wanna put a sand sutrate in my 55 gallon tank, but I can't find it in any of the LFSs. All they have is sand for reptiles, can I use that??? The only reason that I worry so much about it is because I want to get zebra plecos, and seeing how they cost around $100, I really don't wanna loose them!!!

Thanks,
Dustin

I bought mine (river sand) from a local nursery/garden supplies. Works out very cheap @ less than $5 to do a 3ft tank. The only problem is that you have to spend alot of time rinsing it til it's clear.

rinsing it till its clear of dirt or something else?

like I said zebra plecos... very worried

according to planetcatfish :

The Rio Xingú is full of rocks of many sizes with some fine sand between them. H. zebra is collected in deeper mid-water channels where it hides in crevices. The ideal H. zebra tank would be set up much differently than what we picture as a typical "South American" biotope. The tank should resemble a rocky riffle area in a stream with jumbles of rounded rocks and good water movement. Provide lots of small caves as the fish normally live and spawn in the caves and cracks of rocks. The rocks should be assembled in a haphazard fashion to create lots of crevices and shelves in which the fish can cram themselves. Sand is preferable, but large rounded gravel or bare-bottomed tanks are also accepted. Prefers dark rock to bogwood but I would provide some wood (many people claim that their zebras never touch the stuff) - better safe than sorry in my opinion.

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so you don't NEED sand, someone i know that has half a dozen of zebra plecs doesn't use sand - and at last report has spawned them.

Thank you very much meriadoc! I also was planning to breeding them, so any information that you or your friend ( or anyone else ) has to offer I would be more than happy to read. If anyone would prefer to talk to me more one on one... my email is radmaknitsud@hotmail.com

^^^^ just in case anyone has more info on the perfect (or close to it) zebra pleco tank or as to where I could buy some without breaking the bank.

Thank you all

I'm using playsand in my tank...easily purchased in most all home improvement stores, many garden shops, and often someplace like wlmrt. As with most any substrate it's important that you rinse it before putting it in the tank very very well. Any particles that float easily need to be removed otherwise they're likely to float until they are sucked up by the impeller and destroying your filter. Additionally covering the intake on HOB filters is highly reccomended.

^_^ [hr width='40%']"Somewhere beyond happiness and sadness
I need to calculate,what creates my own madness...
and I am waiting for disaster"

If I were spending $100 on a zebra (which I am soon) I would go ahead and order aquarium sand online and pay the extra shipping. However if your going for a breeding setup they actually prefer a bit of current and then caves(pvc seems to be used most often for breeding) Which block the current but angled enough to let some water movement in to help keep them clean. I would go with rounded river pebbles instead of sand. Also I was told they prefer caves with an opening about the size of the male's body. He blocks the opening to keep the female and later fry inside.

pool filter sand works well they are lighter in color and look real nice in a aquarium.They are available at any home improvement store for around $5 dollars for a 50 pound bag.

Home Depot sells a 50lb. bag of playsand for about $2.80 per bag. I use this in my shrimp tank and it works and looks great. If you get it make sure to clean it 3-4 times in a bucket before putting it in your tank.