Best Sand ever!!

[Fishflyer]

Frigin' smart machines--love them, but they think they know English word placement an

Sounds like a wrestling tag team lineup. Like some major personalities too. Poor guy and you have to be a vigilant ref plus too.
>>You think that new addition of the T bar cichlid will mix things up?

I know they tell you to change around the landscaping when you add a new tank mate to an existing community of aggressive fish. Well I don't want to change my landscaping around. Over time I change the design; take away and add things--improve. With the rocks and realistic ornaments I have-- their placement is best where it is--so I change out fish, fish communities between tanks.
With aggression levels of my 2 large cichlids, it doesn't make any difference.
I want to add my largest angel to a cichlid tank--I am thinking harassment will ensue, maybe not. But he is a showpiece in my livingroom, him and crowntail betta in another tank.

As for your sand darkening the background and on the other changing the fish color, are you OK with it? I have been giving it some thought.

Does changing the light LED color make a difference. If I don't like an effect, I change it. I saw the Baja blue sand, it was cool, but it was kind of dark -- that was for my tank, might make your parrots pop. I am thinking the Hawaii blue for one or two of my tanks. What I did when I chose too dark of a blue gravel, I mixed in lighter shades of blue and then the manufacturer changed the shade of the lighter blue even lighter. The effect of the 3 shades was/is good though. Sometimes the actual product color is different from.the color samples shown due to photography light. I don't know how true this sand color is to samples shown of Sandtastik, haven't gotten mine yet. Also a small sample of white shown against white paper can look different then a larger quantity if the actual product. I worked as optics tech for an opthalmologist and optometrist quite a few years before I started my gym.

If you are not happy with the effect, what about test mixing lighter shades of blue. Buy the 1 lb bag of lighter shade of sand for $5 and do a small test mix. If you are loathe to spend more money--well you already made a major investment. Buy small amounts over time until you achieve the color you like.

Did you say you have white sand in storage? What about doing a small test mix outside the tank with that?

Back/ footlights or spotlights for your backgrounds. All these are ideas for you. Maybe you have thought of them already. I laid down after I was done with everything and I was out, so I didn't hear the notification of your last entry.

I wrote some ideas for your viewing 2 posts back.
d phraseology better than we do. I proofread the last entry twice but the corrections I made, the machine changed back to it's original choice of (incorrect) words. Then it doesn't correct a misspelled word. Aye yiyi.

 

[FINWIN]

Ok on second review the sand looks great with the backgrounds. You just have to look at the tanks "head on" and its okay. The bubbles cleared off which makes a difference too.

The sand has affected the fish too...they've totally colored up to their maximum. Kong looks 'street cone' orange against the baja blue...he almost glows. Patch is now a deep peach color instead of her normal ice pink. The tips of her fins are red now! Looks great against the lime/moss green theme.

I did a light test with a flourescent bulb...terrible. Tanks looked dark and muddy like a light was blown out and couldn't capture the sand color at all. The led's really 'get' the brilliance of the sand color. To be honest I would see people with black sand tanks and was like 'meh'. Needs a LOT of light and contrast to pull it off...too overwhelming in a big tank.

Pics are coming soon. Boss is coming around from his lapse from seeing the new tanks. He's backing off somewhat on Brick now, mostly because Brick's had it and doesn't move when Boss charges.I think Brick's rapid growth is confusing to him. He has a harder time 'nudging' him now. It's really kind of funny, I yell "DING DING" at the tank.

Something you mentioned gives me an idea...maybe one of those submersible 'backlight' bars might do the trick...it does in photography..you neutalize parts of the light spectrum.

Love this sand...

 

[Fishflyer]

Ok on second review the sand looks great with the backgrounds. You just have to look at the tanks "head on" and its okay. The bubbles cleared off which makes a difference too.

The sand has affected the fish too...they've totally colored up to their maximum. Kong looks 'street cone' orange against the baja blue...he almost glows. Patch is now a deep peach color instead of her normal ice pink. The tips of her fins are red now! Looks great against the lime/moss green theme.

I did a light test with a flourescent bulb...terrible. Tanks looked dark and muddy like a light was blown out and couldn't capture the sand color at all. The led's really 'get' the brilliance of the sand color. To be honest I would see people with black sand tanks and was like 'meh'. Needs a LOT of light and contrast to pull it off...too overwhelming in a big tank.

Pics are coming soon. Boss is coming around from his lapse from seeing the new tanks. He's backing off somewhat on Brick now, mostly because Brick's had it and doesn't move when Boss charges.I think Brick's rapid growth is confusing to him. He has a harder time 'nudging' him now. It's really kind of funny, I yell "DING DING" at the tank.

Something you mentioned gives me an idea...maybe one of those submersible 'backlight' bars might do the trick...it does in photography..you neutalize parts of the light spectrum.

Love this sand...

Well that is great that the sand brought out the colors of the fish and background. Glad you are happy with the results after all your efforts and money.

Something you said about the play sand being more fine. I ordered the one of the primary "classic" colors--green. You had mentioned the play sand was finer than the floral sand. I am not sure which category the sand I ordered falls in. I will deal with it when it arrives. If it is the play sand, and has the gas pockets and gets into the vacuum tubes I can order the emerald which I assume is the floral with the larger granules. I can also do a small test patch of a mix of the two for color and maintenance.

 

[FINWIN]

The play sand is smoother and more "powdery".
The floral sand feels like sugar crystals.

In the pic I showed the boxes which indicate floral. If it doesn't say that it's definitely a different grain. That classic green is nice, reminds me of a golf course. What's impressive is that the colors are true to the depictions online.

You could probably mix it with a nice gravel, say black and white with the green.

My fish are happy in their new luxury apartments, lol.

 

[Fishflyer]

The play sand is smoother and more "powdery".
The floral sand feels like sugar crystals.

In the pic I showed the boxes which indicate floral. If it doesn't say that it's definitely a different grain. That classic green is nice, reminds me of a golf course. What's impressive is that the colors are true to the depictions online.

You could probably mix it with a nice gravel, say black and white with the green.

My fish are happy in their new luxury apartments, lol.

Hello, Very cool that your fish, and I take it you too are happy with their new digs. Great satisfying feeling to complete a new tank that you feel is living art. I know I was recently with my new tank that is have a rocky grotto (with gravel substrate )coming out to a sandy beach. With colorful fish. Still have to get a few more of the colorful fish part.
I had to upgrade to a larger tank for growing Phoenix cichlid. I bought a new tank for it. Great setup, but it had a defective rinky dink filter. The acrylic seems a bit thin to me but nice looking curved front corners- "panoramic" The company replaced the whole kit. I only asked for filter and offered to pay for the part of the kit that was not filter on the second kit. They insisted and were totally outstandingly nice. Sending me emails and actual mailed letters (2) making sure it everything was satisfactory. The second unasked for tank sat in storage for a bit. Then I decided to take down a big hex tank I had for years-- bought used. It was scratched, so viewing fish was getting blurry. I have a Novus polishing kit and will polish out the scratches if I can. I put the fish in a bucket with their filter while I set up the new tank. It was supposed to be a temporary tank, but I like it so much it is staying. Frankly I think it is an improvement over the previous one. I used some of the same media and water and filter and water from other tanks to jump start the biocycle. At first I was reluctant to use the free tank, but I am okay with it now.

I may have some black gravel, and know I have white, also have green gravel (semi dark shade-- darker than the Santastik sand I ordered) I may have some blues left over, and I also have some deep purple that came with a tank I bought. I will take the professional artist's opinion and do a test mix of black and white with green. But the betta us a dark silvery blue. This is for his tank and I don't want him to fade out against a dark background. Peppered in black might be alright.
So I take it you have mixed sand and gravel. I have with pleasing results. This tank I wanted just sand. But I will try your suggestion and also just see what the green sand is like by itself. Ideally one aquaria author thought a mixed media gravel/ sand mix was the best substrate. He thought either gravel or sand were great on their own also.

I did go back to the Sandtastik site earlier today and found classic green was not the larger grain floral sand that is more suitable for aquarium substrate use. Neither is the Emerald. One of the sites I originally looked at did not specify. I will go back to the site and see if I can find a green or other suitable color in the larger granules "floral" sand. I assumed since Sandtastik's online Amazon distributers was David's Bridal that it Was a floral sand. A likely association.
Before I purchase more sand I'll see how the one I ordered does.

Ciao

 

[FINWIN]

Hello, Very cool that your fish, and I take it you too are happy with their new digs. Great satisfying feeling to complete a new tank that you feel is living art. I know I was recently with my new tank that is have a rocky grotto (with gravel substrate )coming out to a sandy beach. With colorful fish. Still have to get a few more of the colorful fish part.
I had to upgrade to a larger tank for growing Phoenix cichlid. I bought a new tank for it. Great setup, but it had a defective rinky dink filter. The acrylic seems a bit thin to me but nice looking curved front corners- "panoramic" The company replaced the whole kit. I only asked for filter and offered to pay for the part of the kit that was not filter on the second kit. They insisted and were totally outstandingly nice. Sending me emails and actual mailed letters (2) making sure it everything was satisfactory. The second unasked for tank sat in storage for a bit. Then I decided to take down a big hex tank I had for years-- bought used. It was scratched, so viewing fish was getting blurry. I have a Novus polishing kit and will polish out the scratches if I can. I put the fish in a bucket with their filter while I set up the new tank. It was supposed to be a temporary tank, but I like it so much it is staying. Frankly I think it is an improvement over the previous one. I used some of the same media and water and filter and water from other tanks to jump start the biocycle. At first I was reluctant to use the free tank, but I am okay with it now.

I may have some black gravel, and know I have white, also have green gravel (semi dark shade-- darker than the Santastik sand I ordered) I may have some blues left over, and I also have some deep purple that came with a tank I bought. I will take the professional artist's opinion and do a test mix of black and white with green. But the betta us a dark silvery blue. This is for his tank and I don't want him to fade out against a dark background. Peppered in black might be alright.
So I take it you have mixed sand and gravel. I have with pleasing results. This tank I wanted just sand. But I will try your suggestion and also just see what the green sand is like by itself. Ideally one aquaria author thought a mixed media gravel/ sand mix was the best substrate. He thought either gravel or sand were great on their own also.

I did go back to the Sandtastik site earlier today and found classic green was not the larger grain floral sand that is more suitable for aquarium substrate use. Neither is the Emerald. One of the sites I originally looked at did not specify. I will go back to the site and see if I can find a green or other suitable color in the larger granules "floral" sand. I assumed since Sandtastik's online Amazon distributers was David's Bridal that it Was a floral sand. A likely association.
Before I purchase more sand I'll see how the one I ordered does.

Ciao

Blue Betta you could go green sand and purple gravel
purple sand with white gravel
green sand with red gravel
or white sand with red, green, and blue gravel mixed

break out the crayons!

 

[Fishflyer]

Blue Betta you could go green sand and purple gravel
purple sand with white gravel
green sand with red gravel
or white sand with red, green, and blue gravel mixed

break out the crayons!

Wow! Thanks for the Professional Artist's Pallette of Colors Mix. So many choices.

Should I submit my address so you can send a bill?

Got some home work to do. I'll start breaking out the gravel. I don't think I have any red.
>> What do I do as to crayons or colored markers?
>> Do I put different colored dot combinations as per your guide?

As earlier remarked. My fish like exploring new environments or changes to their existing environments. Sounds like yours do too...Happy Fish.

Adios. Gracias mi Muchacho.