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At my local fish store I finally managed to find bags of aquarium sand, on the label it says marine limesand and I asked an employee who said it would be fine for cichlids as it will keep a high PH level.

Milkyboy

Although I appreciate your interest in increasing the hardness of your water, do you have any idea of the effect of theis product on water hardness? I have a bad feeling that it may give you more problems than you may want or expect.

__________
"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research."
researched from Steven Wright

Hi,
Folks who are in the aquatic field as we all are tend to
err on the side of caution. The word "Lime" tends to make
one think of construction such as this site:

[link=http://www.bricksandbrass.co.uk/diymats/lime/lime.htm]http://www.bricksandbrass.co.uk/diymats/lime/lime.htm" style="COLOR: #FF00FF[/link]

This stuff while CaCO3 (Calcium Carbonate) is not processed
for use in an aquarium and "We" (I) would question its
purity and content.

However, if the sand that you have is processed
specifically for aquatic (aquarium) use, then I would have
no concerns about it and think it would work just fine.

Folks who keep African Rift Fish want the pH to be above
8.0 and to do that, and keep it there, they use substrates
of crushed coral, crushed dolomite, crushed limestone, or
crushed oyster shells. All are forms of carbonates and
will keep your pH steady above 8.0

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Yeah, it said on the packaging "Marine Lime Sand" and the shop were using the same stuff in their tanks and their fish were fine.

Milkyboy

milkyboy,
Something to keep in mind is that marine aquaria and freshwater aquaria have vastly different water chemistry.

I would also have concerns using anything with lime in a freshwater tank. If you're looking for sand substrate (and understand it's special requirements) check your local hardware, home improvement, or landscaping store for play sand. It's around $3(USD) for a 50lb bag.

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Yeah, I thought about that but the lady at the aquarium said it was all fake stuff that was bad for fish, although she was probably just wanting me to buy her product.

Milkyboy

all fake stuff that was bad for fish,

how on earth can sand be fake!...sorry not laughing at you at all but that employees statement! Playsand isn't manufactured in anyway. Most sand isn't, it's just a byproduct of the gravel making process, which really can't be called "manufacturing".

Again I'd steer away from marine sand for a freshwater aquarium. If your ph is way too low to keep the fish you're interested in, then you can purchace some things like crushed coral that's designed for cichlid tanks.

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Yeah, I know, I thought the same thing when I heard it. Sand is sand. My PH is good now, it's 8.0, so I don't need anything extra to boost the PH, I just like sand and I thought it'd be better to buy the stuff that's made for fish tanks. Have you tried the hardware style playbox sand before?

Milkyboy

i know more than dozens of people here used the sand from hardware store, and are VERY happy with their result, plus they didnt have to pay more than 5 bucks for it

Hi,
Actually, going back to the first post...
IF the "lime" sand is processed and packaged for use in
an aquarium, THEN it is safe for us to use. It is a
carbonate based sand instead of a silica based sand and
will hold the pH above 8.0 which is perfect for the
African Rifts.

For those who want to use silica based sand in their tanks
there are various grades of sand. You have the option of
purchasing the sand from the LFS which is cleaned and
processed and with a washing, can be dumped into the tank.

Or, you can go to the hardware store and purchase sand.
This sand can come in various shades of brown and,
essentially, they drive a back hoe up to the beach and
dig out the sand, do a rough sifting, and package it.
It will contain all sorts of stuff and will have to be
washed, and washed several times to remove twigs and
other contaminants.

Or, you can go to a swimming pool supply house and
purchase pool filter sand. This sand comes in shades
of brown, or even white. It is a "cleaner" sand and won't
require as much washing before placing it in the tank.

When using true sand (sand vs aquarium gravel) keep the
depth of it shallow, ideally less than an inch, to prevent
it compacting. The problem with sand that is 3 or 4 inches
thick (necessary for plants) is that it compacts, the
spaces between individual grains is so small that it easily
clogs with waste, and there is very little circulation
between grains. All this leads to areas of anaerobic
bacteria buildup (black foul smelling areas) that release
Hydrogen Sulfide gas and is toxic to plants and fish.

Keeping the depth shallow, using digging fish such as
cories, and the MTS snail will help keep the sand aerated
and loose. Additionally, when sand is used, you will want
to wrap a piece of sponge around the filter intake and
raise it a couple of inches up from the bottom. Sand
grains are light and easily stirred up into the water where
it can be sucked into the filter system and destroy the
pump impellers.

Frank


Last edited by FRANK at 07-Dec-2005 10:15

-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Have you tried the hardware style playbox sand before?

Yuppers! 50 pound bag for under $5 from a local (ie: non-chain) garden supply store. Playsand does usually need careful rinsing and a lot of it. There was at least one twig in the bag. There are other types of sand though so have a look around before you buy to see what catches your eye. No I didnt mean for that to rhyme.

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Thanks for all your help guys, luckily for me I live right near shops I've got a pool centre 20m down the road and another across the road and a hardware store across the road too. It kicks .

Milkyboy