Red sandy fine gravel

[Jet_SU]

Hi guys,

bêen a while since i have posted on here, but i was having a look at some peoples setups over the wêkend and i noticed a tank with some red-standy gravel. (very fine).

It looked very nice, proably not ideal for growing plants but for my setup (Just a thin sprinkle of the stuff to cover the bottom and prodominately anubia pieces on wood) it would look the part i reckon!

Anyway, where can i get this stuff and is there anything i should be wary of prior to using it in the aquarium?

References to shops around Melbourne would be appreciated.

Ta

Jet

[Jet_SU]

Ops sorry about the thread name, silly vietnamese keyboard language config.

=/

[advisor edit]FIXED[/edit]

[Robdog]

See if you can post up some pics of the stuff you mean.

[fish_r]

only one i can think of thats red is seachem flourite ?

[Jet_SU]

Sorry, the sand stuff like like 1mm grain thickness. I've just been told that its actually reptile sand...

[ILLUSN]

Reptile sand sounds like what your describing, i think it will cloud the water if ever distyrbed being so fine but then again I've rever tried it, also not sure if it's chemically inert or not.

[fish_r]

i used to own Axolotls, which should be kept on a sand base. and one person i know of on a forum i used to visit for Axolotls did use that reptile sand "but" if u did decide to try it, i would rinse it extremely well and put a little bit in a container for a few days to see if it changes the pH etc or clouds when disturbed...
the other problem u would probably have with it would be at cleaning time with it disapearing up ur gravel vac...

[Robdog]

I could be very wrong here but aren't red sands quite high in iron??? And would that be a good thing to have in a planted setup?

[fish_r]

u could be onto something there ?

[Bald_noggin]

I could be very wrong here but aren't red sands quite high in iron??? And would that be a good thing to have in a planted setup?


u could be onto something there ?


:thumb

[ILLUSN]

However iron is only usefull in the reduced 2+ state, most iron in contact with air is in the oxidised 3+ state and this is mostly unusable to plants. thats why trace element mixes use chelated iron and most tanks need iron dosed daily (PMDD etc). Unless the Iron is bount to a substance (such as clay) which inhibits oxidation you wont get much good out of it.

[pritch33]

if your interested i can get garnet sand although i never got around to testing it myself it comes in a couple of particle sizes this is not reptile sand that is commonly sold in shops
heres a couple of pics
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v246/pritch33/2005_0516garnet0094.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v246/pritch33/2005_0524garnet0100.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v246/pritch33/2005_0524garnet0107.jpg

Ray

[Bald_noggin]

I don't know if soft bellied fish would like that one. :?

Garnet sand is what they use in some types of sand paper! :shock:

[endless]

you can get it a keysborough aquarium on cheltenham rd, keysborogh. They have a display tank there with exactly what you are describing. Its a very red almost powdery gravel.