AquaRank.com

FishProfiles.com Message Forums

faq | etiquette | register | my account | search | mailbox
# FishProfiles.com Message Forums
L# General
 L# Aquascaping
  L# beachsand. do they work on freshwater tank?
 Post Reply  New Topic
Subscribebeachsand. do they work on freshwater tank?
rocker23
-----
Hobbyist
Posts: 105
Kudos: 70
Votes: 0
Registered: 23-Jun-2005
male canada
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
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:27Profile MSN PM Edit Report 
SJinNJ
-----
Fish Addict
Posts: 568
Kudos: 447
Votes: 16
Registered: 21-May-2003
male usa us-newjersey
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.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:27Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
tankie
-----
Fish Addict
Posts: 857
Kudos: 848
Votes: 230
Registered: 15-Mar-2005
male canada
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
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:27Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
nc
-----
Small Fry
Posts: 12
Kudos: 4
Votes: 0
Registered: 25-Jun-2005
male uk
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?
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:27Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Hooben
 
*********
-----
Big Fish
Posts: 346
Kudos: 219
Registered: 27-Oct-2002
male usa us-texas
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
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:27Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
rocker23
-----
Hobbyist
Posts: 105
Kudos: 70
Votes: 0
Registered: 23-Jun-2005
male canada
thanks guys. i'm planning to put it sand on my 70gallon ciclid tank, which i haven't set up yet.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:27Profile MSN PM Edit Delete Report 
wish-ga
 
----------
Mega Fish
Dial 1800-Positive-Posts
Posts: 1198
Kudos: 640
Registered: 07-Aug-2001
female australia
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 ~~~
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:27Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
fry
********
-----
Enthusiast
Posts: 243
Kudos: 195
Votes: 3
Registered: 27-Jul-2004
male israel
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.
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:27Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
FRANK
 
**********
---------------
---------------
Moderator
Posts: 5108
Kudos: 5263
Votes: 1690
Registered: 28-Dec-2002
male usa us-colorado
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 layer thin, no more than
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 based and will drive your pH up as well as the
GH.

Frank


-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--
Post InfoPosted 26-Jan-2006 11:27Profile PM Edit Delete Report 
Post Reply  New Topic
Jump to: 

The views expressed on this page are the implied opinions of their respective authors.
Under no circumstances do the comments on this page represent the opinions of the staff of FishProfiles.com.

FishProfiles.com Forums, version 11.0
Mazeguy Smilies