What sand to use???

[Proteus]

I am thinking of using river sand on a new Discus tank, can anyone suggest a good "available" option in the Sydney area...

It would need to be such that it didnt affect the chemistry of the water, as well as being able to foot some grass type plants (with the aid of root tabs and C02 for the plants well being and successful growth).

Colour is not that important, just as long as it is not to dark, and not too fine...

thx in advance.

[Merrilyn]

Swimmingpool filter sand is totally inert and good for plant growth, but it may be a bit too fine for you. I have used it in the past with success.

[Proteus]

Thanks for the advice...

Does anyone have any experience with River sands...

there are some sweet colours etc, that I have seen at Flower Power, and some other nurseries

[weird]

I was about to ask the same question. I just ordered my 4x2x2 tank from xtreme and have been thinking about what gravel to use ... my wife has always liked sand ....

[weird]

Is Onyx sand the same ? I found an interesting article referenced by an aussies home site, http://home.iprimus.com.au/clintbrearley/barr.htm

The owners web page, Clint, has glass shrimp in with his discus.

http://home.iprimus.com.au/clintbrearley/index.htm

[kalebjarrod]

just go to the local landscape supplies centre and ask for "WASHED RIVER SAND"

this is what they use in potting mixes and for getting those golf greens so smooth that the ball always breaks away form the hole

just wash it a few times and then test it, its really cheap but thats because somtimes they pull it from a brackish layer under or along side the fresh water table

its normally found inland so its not highly calcium based but always test these products.

far to many cowboys out there,

get a winner and you can buy more than you will use in a lifetime in $15.00 plus some change. :wink:

[Mud Crab]

Being a geologist, I know quiet a bit of info about sands etc. Just some pointers to take into consideration:
1) If the sand is poorly sorted (large and small grains), You probs need two seives. One size is to get rid of the large stuff and the next size down is to keep the good stuff and throw away the finer stuff which would go through the second seive.
2) Black rocks (sedimentary or igneous) tend to have sulphur in various concentrations.
3) Steer away from rocks that are derived from granites. These tend to increase the CaCO3 due to plagioclase (the white stuff) having this stuff.
4) Try to get the sand from as far away from the source as possible as most of the soluble minerals would have disolved by then.
5) The best option is find a stream/creek that basically has nearly 100% quartz content in it. These are found generally near river mouths or on alluvial plains which generally pass through the suburbs anyway.
6) Get yourself a handlense or magnifying glass so that you can identify the percentage of quartz in a handsample. Over 80% quartz is good.
...hope this sorta helps. I didnt want to get too much involved. :wink:

Oh, forgot to mention that when using a handlense, determine the sphericity (roundness) of most the grains. Well rounded grains aint too good for porosity and permeability (circulation) within the substrate.

[flukes]

I have asked Clint too come and share some information about his setup.

Hopefully he can help you guys out.

Cheers
Scott

[kalebjarrod]

most washed river sand are a quartz based product here in OZ

just remember to wash it throughly, then again

it's mostly used in paving, and lawn top dressing (by the way thats what they use on golf greens and lawn bowl pitchs, makes its own level, very stable, fills cracks, don't break down and make pits. GOOD STUFF)

if you can lay your hands on a fine sive that would help as well if not use an old bit of fly mesh and wash out all the little bits in it. you'll thank me

:wink:

[Mud Crab]

Have to disagree with yuh on that point ("...most washed river sand are a quartz based product here in OZ..."). Anywhere there is a hill, mountain or exposed bedrock with a creek or similar passing through it you will get more than quartz in your creek sand that it is eroded from . Also dependant factors influencing the outcome as to the type of sand in a creek is the mechanism of erosion experienced at the source (physical/ chemical and/or mechanical weathering). Without going into too much detail, it is true that the Australian geology exposed at the surface is generally older than most parts of the world and more weathered. We have the some of the oldest soils in the world which consist of aluminium rich laterites. Dependant on location then within Australia, you will find more quartz in a creek than others, with some creeks based entirley on quartz due to erosion probably of the soil profile, or other factors mentioned previuosly. For the sake of those in Sydney, a relatively good chance of finding good quartz beds is steer away from the hills and focus more on any creeks that cut through the plains and especially cut through previuosly deposited alluvium and old soil beds where no bedrock is exposed. Also, if the hills are composed of quartzite (sandstone) you have good bet of close to 100% quartz sands in creeks that flow away from them. Even a quick phone call to the geology department in any university will find more than helpful staff who will go out of their way to help you. Ask them where you can find quartz rich, well sorted creek beds or even the location of old sand dunes preserved as hills which will have a mix of soil and quartz. If you are after a particular look or colour of rock, sand...they can help you on that point to. It is the geologists responsiblity to know their local area and believe me, they know where to find the best sand and display rocks which will cost you only time and petrol and an outing with kids. For those of us in northern Australia, it is much more difficult as the creeks/rivers up here have fast flow rates, which means that pebbles are further deposited downstream than they are down south and weathered within the creeks reducing quartz percentages.

[weird]

From the reading I have done on the web, the biggest concern of using sand is that it raises the hardest of the water ... and it sounds like using peat will help.

[Mud Crab]

Just a pointer about sand raising pH. Sand is a general term used to describe the size of a weathered rock and generally also contains an accumulation of minerals that contain by nature an assortment of elements...Calcium, Iron, Sulphur, etc.. If you are certain that the sand is derived from the weathering of a quartzite bed further upstream then no chemical alteration of your water will take place. Silicon is relatively insoluble in water and it this element that makes up quartz alone. A simple handlense will show you if you have quartz or some other stuff you dont want. Quartz can be identified by the way it fractures. Geologists use this property in identifying quartz at it has no cleavage but breaks and leaves what we call a "conchoidal fracture":which looks like a broken beer bottle. If you see flat shiny surfaces it aint quartz even though it may look like it. This stuff may alter your water chemistry. If the grains are too rounded when you look at them, break them on a flat surface with a hammer and then have another look. If you have any questions of a sample of sand...send a pic to this post and I could help identify the stuff in it :wink:

[Proteus]

ok, here is an easy one...

at the local Flower Power they have 3-4 different types of sand...
(silly me forgot the names of them)

does anybody have a clue as to what is the "right" one to choose.

as much as I would like to go out and source my own, time does not allow this, so if anybody is familiar with what they stock, and hints would be helpful.

Or would I be safer getting pool filter sand??? I assume any pool retailer would stock this???

[Pyroman]

Pool filter sand, at least here locally, is increadibly great sand to use. Completely safe, and has a nice blend of colors.

I have no idea what the heck a flower power is *LOL*. Sounds like some throwback to the 70s

[weird]

I read that pool filter sand grains are too fine grain and compacts too easily.
You could use the sand that is used for children's sandpits.
Ask for 'sandpit sand' at your nursery or landscape supplier.

[kalebjarrod]

Proteus,

we need to find out at least who thier suppliers are

if we know this we can find out which product to buy, or at least mud crab could identify it

Mud crab,

as i said in my first post
far to many cowboys out there,

i checked my supplier before use and i get a quartz based mixed, no soil mix is every pure. thats why we check.

i know that if you ask for "WASHED RIVER SAND" in Brisbane and sydney you should get this product ( in a perfect world )

others states you should expect it, but I can't guarantee it

[Proteus]

Ask for 'sandpit sand' at your nursery or landscape supplier.

Maybe I should wear my clown shoes, and take some lollies...

lol

only kidding... I will check out a few places this weekend

[kalebjarrod]

don't ask for sand pit sand MOST peolpe will sell you plarsters sand, beautiful fine white sand

this is FAR TO FINE for tanks, no aireation

understand not all suplliers call the same product the same name, so weird73 may be right in this case, i may be wrong! we may be calling the same product different names

i just know the dealers I use with in Brisvagus and Sydney call it what I call it

this is the best I can do with a "common" name i guess,

moral is ...... FAR TOO MANY COWBOYS SELLING FAR TOO MANY PRODUCTS CALLING THEM ALL THE SAME THING!

[Mud Crab]

Testing your sand for undesirable nasties is quiet easy. One easy test for calcium content (which is the main one in topic at the moment) in a sand sample is to dose with about 10% diluted hydrochloric acid...thats why old car batteries are good. But remember to wear gloves and no smoking or mobile phones when getting your acid :wink:
If your sample bubbles away quiet happily, forget it.
Yeah, too many cowboys and enviro vandals out there for a quik buck...I agree.

[flukes]

This was the response from Clint,
Not suure if it was his tank now :?



Not sure if I could be much help though as the thread seems to be about sand, whereas my substrate is gravel over soil/vermiculite.

But pool sand or something similar should be fine for a planted discus tank. I'd add a "thin" bottom layer of peat and mulm, only ~1cm or so, and then throw the sand over that. Then give the plants plenty of CO2/N/P/K/traces, regular water changes, good lighting etc. Focus on keeping the plants happy and you'll have happy discus.

Also instead of using 10% diluted hydrochloric acid, you can use white vinigar which has the same effect,

Cheeers
Scott

[Chris McMahon]

I use Pool filter sand. 100% silica (inert) sand. Not too fine, and heavy enough to vacuum over. Near white color. $10 per 20kg at my local pool shop. Stuff I use is marked "Grade B1".

[kalebjarrod]

Chris i,ve heard pool filter sand is good as well,

Flukes i,ve thought of going down the substrate mix with peat and other soils/media, always get to sceptical in regards to water quality and clarity.

all fertilzers carry the NPK ration on them, some do things others don't.
I like being able to control the growth of my plants by manipulating the ratio.

[weird]

There is a very interesting article by Ralph Cote in the simplydiscus forums.
http://www.simplydiscus.com/library/biotopes/planted_tanks/sand_substrate.shtml

He also mentions pool filter sand, a cool vinegar test, and makes an interesting note if you are trying to achieve a planted aquarium. However if you are going for a biotape then that is a different story ... I am thinking about plants ... I am in love with this tank and investigating using CO2

http://www.ausdiscus.com.au/gallery.html

Maybe I can combine sand and a nutrient rich substrate by having soil/vermiculite mixture substrate at the bottom and sand above it ?

[kalebjarrod]

i thought vermiculite was gold in colour and floated?

and if it dose sink you could never vac it, it would get sucked up being so light.

can you get other types? correct me if i am wrong

[weird]

Hi Kaleb

I wish I could tell you, I am just going off the 'planted tank guys' information given in ausdiscus ... his writing cracks me up.

I think after this investigation ... that as a discus newbie I am stearing clear of sand for the time being ... a heavily planted tank beckons me ... can you believe I have CO2 cannisters on my brain now ... I see them everywhere in floors on buildings now ... I swear I never saw them there before ... lol ... `starts calling fire protection equipment suppliers`

[flukes]

If your going to use a fire extinguisher a quell is the best yoo use with out having too use a lot of attachments.

[Proteus]

...I have got me some Nepean River sand (course grade)...

It is a darker coloured sand, the place where I got it from had a horticulturist and a geoligist on hand, and they were certain it was quartz based, however they couldnt gaurantee the percentage (it has also been pre-washed)

[flukes]

All aquarium gravel is meant too be pre-washed but it still needs too be washed 100 times.

[Proteus]

oh trust me... I know that one...

I have my own custom gravel wash system... 2-3 buckets flowing into each other... the heavier stuff stays in the first bucket...

Did anyone say anything about water restrictions???

:roll:

[kalebjarrod]

of course you would be recycling all that water

WOULDN'T YOU PROTEUS

[Proteus]

of course...

(down the sink)

Mwhahaha

oh, I do water the plants on the balcony...

(luxuries of living in an apartment - if I had a lawn, trust me, it would be the greenest around :wink: )

[Proteus]

well after washing a few kg's I dont like it...

Too dark, and to many large bits in there, and most are sharp (not rounded) - not good for bottom dwellers like Peppermint BN's...

maybe I might try the pool filter sand...

[Proteus]

...added 60kg of Pool filter sand (1mm grade) have 20 more kgs on standby, however I think the coverage is sufficient...

it looks awesum...

[Chris McMahon]

it looks awesum...It's nice isn't it?

When I get my 4' back from the repairer, I'm going to try 2cm of 50/50 peat/vermilulite covered with 2-3cm of filter sand. I may also put a bit of laterite in there too. Hopefully then I won't need to put fertilisers in the water - making it harder for the algae.

[kalebjarrod]

hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm,

does look nice dosen't it

send up the sand with your new fish your sending me

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

[Mud Crab]

Well, I couldnt resist....nice pic of sand. I was able to define well sorted and angular clasts of 90% at most quartz. I would side on 85% to be safe :wink: Judging by the iron staining on some grains, I would say the black stuff is basalt (iron and magnesium) with some independant grains of white coloured, rounded clasts of feldspars-plagioclase (calcium + potassium?). Its worth the note that the soluble minerals are rounded in this pic...makes me excited to see the difference :shock: There are some other unknowns which have have assorted colours and is probably just filling used by the company to dilute quartz content and thus save $$$ All in all, a relatively safe mix with minimal alteration of water chemistry should be enjoyed by this sample. Good porosity and permeability of water and nutrient flow should be enjoyed by this sand with minimal compaction due to the "locking" effect of angular grains in contact with adjacent grains. Hope this helps :D

[weird]

It looks great.

Please lets us know what its like when you gravel clean it. Also if it compacts heaps.

As those 2 reasons seem to be why people don't tend to use it.

[Proteus]

well so far vaccing cant be easier... just hover the hose end a few cm's from the surface, and up she goes...

as for compacting, I dont see how much more compact it can become (also, I have a few Kuhli loaches and some BN's to scoot around) thinking of getting some Cory's and if possible (and available) Malaysian Trumpet Snails as they are good substrate movers and dont eat plants.

[Tryhard]

I don't think pool filter sand can compact any more than it is - its sort of designed not to so as pool filters can keep working. :wink:

[Proteus]

*bump*

[Tryhard]

Bump :?: :shock:

[Proteus]

Bump = move it back up the topic order as it is a relevant topic

:wink:

[Merrilyn]

I just want to clarify something here.

The sand you ask for is Silica sand, also known as swimming pool filter sand. It is almost white, with distinct grains, like river sand.

There is also another type of swimming pool filter medium sold, called diatomaceous earth, which is white, very fine and powdery. You certainly don't want that :roll: It would make a huge mess of your tank :lol:

If you ask for silica sand for a swimming pool filter, you can't go wrong :wink:

[Benny]

i just bought swimming pool filter sand, and looks nothing like Pro's sand....

Fairly yellowish, not happy jan theres no way im sticking that cr@p in a discus tank... :@

BLOODY FRUSTRATING :@!

[Proteus]

You obviously didnt get the right stuff (must ask for silica based). Yellow sand sounds like what is commonly called Sydney sand (for bricklayers), which is no good for use as a substrate.

A pool shop sold this???

[Benny]

in a sack that said "pool filter sand"

Nowhere near as white as yours,a nd when i asked if it was a silica sand they looked at me puzzled.....

[Tryhard]

I have had sand that is a different colour to the standered white it depends which region it comes from if the supplier picks up a cheap pallet
it may be a different colour.

[Proteus]

Matt, based on your photo that looks like grade 3-5 gravel (diameter of grains 3-5mm).

Sand is usually graded at 1-2mm

[Tryhard]

actually looking at that photo you could be right - that particular substrate went into the garden a while ago with the new stuff being the same as yours (or whats in your photo's) but it was sold to me as pool filter sand funnily enough fine grade instead of course.

[keVerns]

just thought i'd reply with the sand that i brought.


its pretty white... i'd say off white colour...probably similar colour to the ones u'd see at the beach.

Here the brand if it would help anyone.

Rockla - Graded Sand
Grade: 16/30
1-2mms

I brought this from my local pool shop and its silica based.

I paid $9 for 25kgs, very cheap i think.

2 bags going in my 3x2x2 tank...getting really excited... i will post up a pic of the sand color once i get my digi cam back from my bro.

^______^

[kazkirk]

I was disgusted at my choice of pool filter sand as well, but once I put it in the tank, it looked a whole lot nicer.

Here is is up against my white dog (looked way too yellow at this point, I was mad!)(and excuse the silly puppy staring at its own tongue)

http://www.discusforums.com/forum/files/picture_138_375.jpg

Then here it is in the tank under the lights

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v309/kazkirkpatrick/aug3002.jpg

Looks a whole lot whiter to me!

[Proteus]

as per previous...

very nice.

[keVerns]

heres mine

[kalebjarrod]

Matt,

your substrate is a product called zeolite, very porus and with a great CEC would be a excellent layer in a planted tank

but it an'it white

Lady,

diatomaceous earth has actually been ground down to that size, you can sercure yourself pieces as large as a 10cent coin

it would also be great for a substrate in a planted tank, it has an ability to hold 1 1/2 times its own weight in water and hence minerals, it also has a surprisinly high iron content and a surprizingly low calcium content

i believe it is plankton deposited on land fossilized and washed clean with fresh water for many thousand of years

i am expereimenting with this stuff at the moment

[Tryhard]

thanks Ryan I wondered at the change in colour from the old to new.

[kalebjarrod]

no worries

i'm full of useless information LOL

[Merrilyn]

Ryan, you information is always terrific. Never knew that about the diatomaceous earth. I'v only ever seen it in the powdered state :D

[kalebjarrod]

(don't tell anyone but i oly found that out the day before yesterday when a rep brought me a bag LOL)

[oscar]

Hi all,

I'm also in the process of making the change to pool filter sand.

It's quite hard to find. A lot of the places are saying that sand is being phased out and replaced with 'zeolite' because it is much more efficient at filtration. Is this stuff OK for aquariums?

I've read the other posts about which sand is the way to go. One of them said there was a picture of zeolite in a tank, but it was brown. Ths zeolite that i can get is also a creamy white?

Help please.

[Proteus]

oscar, i will send you a PM tomorrow or Saturday with some details of where to get some from

[Proteus]

Sand, did someone say sand... lol

[Robdog]

How is everyones sandy tanks going seeing as this is almost 2 years on from some posts.
Just picked up some River Sand from Bunnings, 20kg for 5 bucks. Haven't thrown it in yet but it looks pretty dark compared to some of the stuff shown in this thread. Thats kind of what I'm after so its sweet

[dcarmau]

Can I suggest this thread be made a sticky, it seems relevant to many people who'd read this thread...

[goldenpigeon]

a sticky it now is :D..... i think your right Dylz it does relate to a lot of people.

[Robdog]

I thought sand as a substrate was no good for planted tanks or does it depend on CO2 and fertilizers etc???

[dcarmau]

The understanding I've gleaned is that sands would be fine provided you do CO2 and fert...

Basically, when all is said and done, you just need to be able to provide the plants with nutrients and a way to use them, whether those nutrients are in the substrate itself or in fertilisers (waterborne or tabs) is beside the point.

[Robdog]

So the plants roots would be ok in a sand substrate as long as there was sufficient nutrients in the sand???

[Robdog]

:?:

[Proteus]

So the plants roots would be ok in a sand substrate as long as there was sufficient nutrients in the sand???

Yes.

I always add a layer of mulm or JBL Aquabasis Plus under the sand to give it some extra kick

[Robdog]

Would a layer of peat under the sand serve a similar purpose?

[Proteus]

Would a layer of peat under the sand serve a similar purpose?

yup... it would certainly be better than the sand on its own

[Nathan]

wouldnt you have problems with maintaining the ph with a layer of peat? also after a month or so wouldnt the peat start to break down and change the water params?

sorry ive heard about this before but never been to sure

[Robdog]

As I mentioned earlier I'm having a go with some River Sand from Bunnings. Seems really good so far but it is extremely silty. I thought I washed it pretty thoroughly but obviously not.
Does anyone know whats good at removing silty murky water as I guess it's not that great for the fish.
I've been doing heaps of water changes and filter rinsing but it's still crap.
Thought about turning the filter off and letting it all settle and vacking the top layer off the sand

[ellwa]

Would a layer of peat under the sand serve a similar purpose?

yup... it would certainly be better than the sand on its own

I am thinking I'm going to make the move to sand today, going to goto the pool store after I've had a sleep.

Aquabasis.. thats basically the same as flourite, no?

Cause my layer of flourite ATM is only about an inch thick, so was thinking add about that again of sand, and then replant everything...

I never really thought about how I was going to lay out my plants when I originally planted, and I never expected my Lotus to get as big as it is, it must be 10 individual plants now, and im not having any luck with hairgrass or glosso, it just doesn't stay planted for more than a few days....

thoughts?

Ideas?

[Liverpool_pete]

Ellwa,

Make sure you clean the sand realy well. It is realy dirty and you will pay the price if you dont make it extra clean as your tank will be extra milky for a while.

Have you looked at Clark Rubber for the sand?? I found them cheaper than most pool shops.

HTH
Peter

[ellwa]

Ellwa,

Make sure you clean the sand realy well. It is realy dirty and you will pay the price if you dont make it extra clean as your tank will be extra milky for a while.

Have you looked at Clark Rubber for the sand?? I found them cheaper than most pool shops.

HTH
Peter

Oh, cleaning isn't a problem,

I was going to remove a large portion of water from my tank, via a gravel vac, then remove all the plants, give them a bit of a trim, get rid of all he crappy growth, and trim down the root balls, then do a solid gravel vac to get all the rubbish out, then remove the discus into a container with a large volume of water in it, reducing the water level right down, then add sand, about half an inch to inch thick, then re plant everything, i a way that doesn't reduce swimable water so much.

And hopefully I'll get a better resuly out of the hair grass, and I'll be able to get a bit better use out of my because there will be limited reflection off the sand.

Off to the Pool Shoppe now.

ellwa

[Liverpool_pete]

ellwa

Sorry i meant before you add the sand to the tank. The sand in the bag is filthy. Dont worry you will see what i mean.

Peter

[Liverpool_pete]

Ellwa,

How did the sand go? Did you get a chance to add it to the tank?? Any ipics?

Peter

[ellwa]

I did get a chance to add it yesterday.

Used about a third of a bag.

No photos yet, but will post some tonight when the camera gets home.

It was a bit of an excersize, and wasn't helped by the fact that I'd hardly slept wince saturday night cause I worked all weekend, but I suceeded in the end.

I did a gravel pump, onto the plants outside, about 1/3 water volume, then another 1/3rd into buckets.

Then put the fish into one of the containers with an airstone in it.

Then removed all the plants, and pumped another half of the water that was left into a contrainer, and onto the good plants with that.

I then trimmed all the plants, got rid of any growth that was at all damaged, and trimmed the roots down for planting.

After washing the sand, I cut the bottom off a water bottle, inverted it, and used it to get the sand into the water without any hassles. It ran out quite nicely, and all the sand was on the floor without clouding the water too much.

I then re-planted, taking my time, and thinking about how I was going about it, and thinking about a layout that worked both for the plants, and for the fish to get the most out of the 40G.

As the water was refilled from the buckets, and then with tap water, the fish returned to their home, and within a few minutes were checking out their new territory.

The little corys love it, the whiptail is pissed his log has moved, the turqs think its great, the yellow mellon, well, i'm trying to figure out why he is missing little bits in his fins, like, between the boney bits, and the blue diamond is doing great, oh, except for the worms that I just ordered Big L for.

The water was pretty cloudy from the JBL ferts under the Flourite, but thats clearing up.

There is just a bit of a white glow to the water, i assume residule stuff from the stiring up that occured during pouring of the sand.

Really happy with the result. Time to clean to filter.

I'll post pics when the camera gets home.

e./

Thanx for you help pete. :)

[ellwa]

With Sand, taken inadvertantly with flash.

Just learning how to use the camera to get it opening fast.

Thanx for the help, this thread was awsome.
http://i86.photobucket.com/albums/k99/ellwa/SSL10079-1.jpg

[Liverpool_pete]

Ellwa

Tank looks great. Looks like the silt settled and the water looks clear.

I would call it a a positive result.

Well Done

Peter

[Benny]

Hey guyz i got a quickie...

A plant nut and errr horticulturalist i think he is, said that pool filter sand is too fine, and would become anaerobic over time...?

Anybody got solutions to this???

Regards
Ben

[Proteus]

Hey guyz i got a quickie...

A plant nut and errr horticulturalist i think he is, said that pool filter sand is too fine, and would become anaerobic over time...?

Anybody got solutions to this???

Regards
Ben

That is not true.

Being Quartz based, and due to the shape of the grain, this wont happen unless you have a very very deep gravel bed. This is why you use Pool Filter sand, not any other type of sand. There have been several comments on this on these forums from geologists and long time users of this sand, none have mentioned an issue.

I can also state first hand after using filter sand for over 5 years I have never had an issue with areas going anaerobic (or build up of sulphur etc etc)

[*Chris*]

go down to any aquarium these days . they can order a gravel that is as fine as sand BUT it does not compact over time like sand , and because it is a gravel it does not affect your water perameters
it is around thirty a bag but well worth it il try and get somepics up soon showing the differance
cheers
EX-AI

[stardotstar]

Hi guys, I have just done a quick run around looking at the LFS and Bunnings and some landscape suppliers and am really looking for a pointer to a good supplier of white sand suitable for freshwater aquarium (as per this discussion) in Brisbane - pref soutn/east side...

I don't want to pay a premium - LFS is 22$ per bag and I want to put an unplanted substrate in my 5'x18" tank. So they recommended between 2 and 3 bags.

So far the silica based pool filter sand has been hard to get anyone to acknowledge... Most say their pool filter sand is brownish... but it is $11/20KG and I guess this is a much more affordable way to go - if I can get white...

[stardotstar]

Just following this with a lead:

A local landscape supplier has "White Silica Straddie Sand" at $26.25 / half meter - I can bag it for $4 per bag. They couldn't tell me if it was effected by salt - but if it came from Stradbroke Island I suspect it is beach type sand - what do you guys think>?

Can I buy some of this and wash it thoroughly and use it safely or do I need to keep hunting around?

[stardotstar]

Just following this with a lead:

A local landscape supplier has "White Silica Straddie Sand" at $26.25 / half meter - I can bag it for $4 per bag. They couldn't tell me if it was effected by salt - but if it came from Stradbroke Island I suspect it is beach type sand - what do you guys think>?

Can I buy some of this and wash it thoroughly and use it safely or do I need to keep hunting around?

UPDATE - foun d this thread: sorry for spurious posting:
http://www.discusforums.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7185

[ren]

Hey guys

i really love the look of sand tanks but ive just got a few worries - mainly that i havent yet seen a tank with sand used as a base without having real plants in it?? not too sure how a fake planted tank with driftwood possibly some rocks might look with sandy base? anyone have any photos of their tanks with sandy base and no real plants?

as good as they look i just dont have the money or knowledge to jump into planted aquariums just yet - my 30watt light agrees:P

another thing - ive currently got two little bristlenoses and they make a huge mess - im told its the wood they eat from the driftwood that passes through... the deal is that theres always a huge pile of 'wood' that appears even 1 day after a good clean and waterchange!! so with sand this would look stand out more and look even worse ?? so i suppose getting sand would mean giving them away :/

still love the look of sandy tanks though and would appreciate any members out there who've got pics of sandy tanks without living plants to post them if possible!! i'm sort of on the verge of giving the sand a go but need a little push of encouragement if i can see a tank that looks good without plants!

proteus, is there any chance of a full tank shot of your tank where you added the pool filter sand just to get an idea how it looks overall - also where did you buy it from in sydney and how much did you pay?

thanks heaps

ren

[ren]

well i went to the lfs this arvo to check out some sand substrates that were available

the guy recommended that i didnt use a light white sandy base simply for the reason that he says it makes the discus appear lighter and not show their colours as well as they would with a darker substrate?? have you guys found this to be true?

still love the look of sandy bottoms though!

[stardotstar]

I am washing three 20KG bags of Stradbroke Island white sand now after a week of testing for how reactive it is and finding it to be fine. It is very clean and seems only to need thorough rinsing and pouring off to get the debris out. Very little dust or cloudyness after the first two or three rinses. It also compacts quite quickly so I guess it will be important to get the substrate to settle evenly without getting pockets in it and also to get some shaping to the bed right at the beginning.

[StonX]

Does anyone ever heard of used this?
Overseas Aquascaper used them as a substrate. They say its high in iron.

Is it available here is Oz?

[Halekx]

i know this is an old post but it is still very usefull.

i would like to know what you guys think of what i'm going to use.

Akadama (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akadama)

people have been using it for quite some time here in Portugal and the results are very good, specialy in tanks with lower PH.

the plants like it and the fish do not complain

[waverush]

Hello everyone, this is my very first post.

I have a 3-week-old 55g, currently lightly-planted, with a co2 ladder (considering adding the other after animals enter the scene).

My substrate is Aragonite, with Laterite sprinkles for the plants. I understand that Aragonite raises pH.
Will this raising of pH gradually stop, as the Aragonite ages?
To control pH, I plan on running the co2 day and night, as well as the lovely almond leaf "trick." All water parameters will be stable, BEFORE a single discus is ever added.

What does the group think?
Thank you so much - these forums are amazing.

[rbarn]

Found some info while researching this.

1mm or 20grit pool sand seems to be the stuff to use.




The mesh or grit size is how many grains of sand lined up equal 1" long line of sand. 30 mesh = 30 grains of sand per inch. 20 grit is 20 grains of sand to the inch.
There are 25 mm per inch, so saying 20 mesh sand equals 1 mm diameter is pretty close. 30 mesh sand is slightly smaller grains.

Sand generally weighs not too far off 100 lbs per cubic foot. Not an exact number, though. Especially if it gets wet.
@ 2" deep, 1 cubic foot covers 6 square feet, or a tank that is 1-1/2' x 4'.