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beachsand. do they work on freshwater tank? | |
rocker23 Hobbyist Posts: 105 Kudos: 70 Votes: 0 Registered: 23-Jun-2005 | Ok i'm thinking about putting beachsand on my 10gallon ciclid tank. theres less fish now cuz I separated them in two 10gallons. anyways do you guys/girls think that it would be good? or bad?. any suggestions because I have no idea about anything |
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27 | |
SJinNJ Fish Addict Posts: 568 Kudos: 447 Votes: 16 Registered: 21-May-2003 | I would use the method most folks use when adding store bought sand. Make sure to rinse it several times as there are lots of tiny stuff you don't want in your tank cloggin up your filter. |
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27 | |
tankie Fish Addict Posts: 857 Kudos: 848 Votes: 230 Registered: 15-Mar-2005 | i have to agree...just rinse it well...sand is suitable for a cichlid tank...but a 10g tank for cichlids??? not much can be put in there even the small varieties require some swimming/territorial space...just hope if u do decide to have that..provide some plants as well. gud luck |
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27 | |
nc Small Fry Posts: 12 Kudos: 4 Votes: 0 Registered: 25-Jun-2005 | by beach sand do you mean sand collected from the beach or store bought sand? if you mean sand collectcichled from the beach then i wouldnt advise it as it will be contaminated , if you mean store bought sand (which here in the uk is river sand) then it will be good for a cichlid set up however i agree that 10 gallon would be too small for any medium to large cichlids, which kind of cichlids are you thinking about? |
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27 | |
Hooben Big Fish Posts: 346 Kudos: 219 Registered: 27-Oct-2002 | The best and cheapest stuff to buy is pool filter sand, from your swimming pool supply store. 50 pounds of it will cost you ten bucks at most places. It looks like beach sand but is clean! ________________________________________ The calming qualities of a good aquarium are irrefutable |
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27 | |
rocker23 Hobbyist Posts: 105 Kudos: 70 Votes: 0 Registered: 23-Jun-2005 | thanks guys. i'm planning to put it sand on my 70gallon ciclid tank, which i haven't set up yet. |
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27 | |
wish-ga Mega Fish Dial 1800-Positive-Posts Posts: 1198 Kudos: 640 Registered: 07-Aug-2001 | Just a note here; have you seen it done? I remember someone setting up a tank with very light coloured sand. It looked AWESOME. They were so thrilled - until they realised the waste one th light colour substrate was an eyesore. Just something to think about. There is also ways of doing a mix so that it looks really light from a distance and has enough variation in colour close up so that waste standing out isn't so much a prob. All the best for your set up. ~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~ |
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27 | |
fry Enthusiast Posts: 243 Kudos: 195 Votes: 3 Registered: 27-Jul-2004 | i hate to tell you: river sand is just as contaminated as beach sand, if not more so. beach sand can work out really nice. i'd put it in a fine cloth sack (pillow casing, for example) first and soak it in fresh water for quite some time if it is collected from a beach, because of the large ammount of minerals collected on the grains. soaking and rinsing should take them off, no problem. may i suggest using some small rocks or something similar to break the smoothness of the sand substrate? it will make the scenery much more interesting to look at. |
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27 | |
FRANK Moderator Posts: 5108 Kudos: 5263 Votes: 1690 Registered: 28-Dec-2002 | Hi, Sand can present an interesting aquarium and it can also be problematic. Planted tank substrates are generally 3-4 inches thick. With sand, the spaces between the individual grains are so small that they are easily cloged with detritus such as fish poop,excess food, dead plant material and even ordinary dust/dirt from the house that hits the water and settles to the bottom. The small grain size also allows the sand to compact (settle) over time and that, combined with the detritus, chokes off any water circulation and forms areas of anaerobic bacteria. This is a dark black foul smelling (rotten eggs) mass that is actually toxic to fish and to plants. The BEST place to buy sand economically, is the local pool supply store. You can purchase sand that is used in pool filters for pennies on a pound. It is clean and even comes in shades of brown or white. White sand gives a stark, bright, look to the tank that is set off with rocks of various types and the various shades of green of plants. However, most fish don't live over the bright white look and are skittish about being out in the open when swimming over it. Additionally, because it is so white, ANY dirt on it sticks out like a sore thumb, and some of the detritus will stain it. Eventually the white sand looses its "look" and becomes "yucky" to look at. Sand can easily be lifted into the water column where it can get into the aquarium filters. The grains of sand will clog a filter, or even worse, destroy the pump impellers. If you choose to use sand, always have a sponge sleeve wraped around the filter intakes to keep the sand out of the filter. When using sand, I would keep the la an inch. I would use the MTS snail and cories to keep the sand from compacting, and I'd add some rocks and/or small pebbles to break it up. If you choose to use sand that you collect, be sure to wash it many, many times over to eliminate the twigs, snails, and other critters that are living in it. In some areas they are so poluted that using it could harm or kill your fish. In some of your areas the material that makes up the "sand" is carbonate ba GH. Frank -->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<-- |
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:27 |
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