# Is sand ok?



## dette21 (Jun 3, 2012)

Hey guys, my boyfriend just bought a 46 gallon bowfront anf he really wants to put sand on the bottom is the doable? Anything to look out for or need to know ? Any help would be much apprieciated !


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## Crazy (Mar 1, 2012)

I have 8 tanks and all of them have sand in the bottom. If you want to save yourself a good bit of money you can do play sand or pool filter sand, it just needs rinsed really well. Most people prefer the pool filter sand as it looks very natural.


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

yep sands fine. im fact i prefere it and so do fish!! you can get all sorts of sand for example aquarium/vivarium sand, play sand, blasting sand etc for very cheap. you just have to make sure its non toxic and hasnt had any mold inhibitors etc added to it. ive got white aquarium sand in one of my smaller tanks which was quite expensive £7 for 3kg and in my others 2 i have normal play sand, was £3 for i think 25kg. it makes cleaning the bottom easier also as all the rubbish sits on top of the sand so you just siphon just above it instead of having to vac gravel.


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## dette21 (Jun 3, 2012)

Ok great ! Thank you so much he will be very happy


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

*Re: Is Sand OK?*



dette21 said:


> Hey guys, my boyfriend just bought a 46 gallon bowfront anf he really wants to put sand on the bottom is the doable? Anything to look out for or need to know ? Any help would be much apprieciated !


Hello d...

Sand isn't a good choice of substrate unless you plan to keep and breed Corydoras. They love it and really, sand looks pretty nice in the tank. But, it's a poor choice.

There are a number of reasons: If you want plants, they'll do better in anything than they will in sand. Sand is heavy and the plant roots have a problem with being weighed down with sand. Sand will compact and stop the water flow to the plant roots. No water flow, means no nutrients get to the plant roots. Not good. Compacted sand can create voids or spaces where toxins can build up and cause water chemistry problems.

Sand is a challenge to keep clean, because vacuuming is difficult at best. If you want a good substrate then look into Flourite or Eco-Complete. These are pricey, but will nourish the plants for a long time.

Just a thought or two to consider or not.

B


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

Eco is inert, so it doesn't do much for plants either. Believe it is the same for flourite.


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Sand works with plants as well as anything else. I have grown some heavily planted tanks in sand. With sand and heavy root feeders just add fert tabs. Plus the roots help keep the sand from compacting. Pool filter sand does not compact and is easy to rinse before using.


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## dette21 (Jun 3, 2012)

Ok great he had his heart set on sand and hell be happy to know its a possiblitly he's not fond of real plant so that's shouldn't be an issue. Thanks for all the advice guys


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Go for pool filter sand, easy to work with and needs less rinsing.


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## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

*Re: Is Sand OK?*



dette21 said:


> Hey guys, my boyfriend just bought a 46 gallon bowfront anf he really wants to put sand on the bottom is the doable? Anything to look out for or need to know ? Any help would be much apprieciated !


Hello again d...

I'll defer on the subject of a sandy substrate to those with more experience than I. Let your friend know that the sand will take considerably more work to keep clean than the standard substrates, especially if you have a lot of fish in the tank. I have to agree it looks nice, but I wouldn't use it myself.

Good luck.

B


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## zero (Mar 27, 2012)

Just make sure when u do a water change u move the sand around with ur finger or a spoon or something to keep it from compacting, and it also seems to break up the pleco poo so its easier to siphon! I don't know what 46gallon is but its easy to do n takes me 5mons to move around my 300litre.


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## beaslbob (May 29, 2009)

I found that a 100% sand substrate worked nicely for some fish but kh and gh (hardness) did rise to high levels over time.

With peat moss under the sand kh and gh stayed a low levels and a greater variety of fish did well. Putting in the peat moss first then sand on top traps in the peat moss so the aqaurium stay cleaner as well.


my .02


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Thats bs, I use sand in all my tanks and have not had a rise in any of them. PFS is completely inert per government regulations. Putting peat under sand traps gasses from the decaying peat for awhile then they start leaching into the tank affecting water quality and other things,

I have used playsand, blasting sand and pool filter sand for years with none of the effects that you are talking about. So please stop pushing your ideas to everyone.


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## knoids (Jun 11, 2012)

I have sand in my tank as well.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

beaslbob said:


> I found that a 100% sand substrate worked nicely for some fish but kh and gh (hardness) did rise to high levels over time.
> 
> With peat moss under the sand kh and gh stayed a low levels and a greater variety of fish did well. Putting in the peat moss first then sand on top traps in the peat moss so the aqaurium stay cleaner as well.
> 
> ...


May possibly occur in your tanks, but if you performed routine maintenance this would not be true....even if what you say does really happen.

Effects from peat last about as long as the effects from a piece of driftwood.


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## dette21 (Jun 3, 2012)

Well we have lots to consider thanks for all the great ideas!


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## navigator black (Jan 3, 2012)

I know I'm late, but rinse and rinse. That extra 30 minutes will pay off with an excellent substrate - my favourite. It's cheap, it looks good and I find it easy to keep clean if I have rinsed, rinsed and rinsed some more. You can lose a 1/3 of a bag rinsing, but what remains is worth it.


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## Alasse (Mar 12, 2009)

I have sand in the majority of my tanks

With what i use
Play sand - inert
River sand - inert
PFS - raises PH

I have used in (and am currently) in a fully planted 4ft tank. I have used it for cichlids. My peppermint BN are kept on it.
Looks great and not that difficult to look after


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