Sand Advice
- Thread starter nomad
- Start date
nomad;4646734; said:
1) yay you of all people is getting geos!!
2) pool filter sand is the most common recommended and is pefect. I prefer Lapis Lustre but it can be hard to find/expensive. I have also had success with Quickrete "media" sand from Home Depot. It's very cheap but is somewhat fine in grain size. Perfect for geos but if you have overkill turnover rates may be an issue.
Drop me a PM anytime and I will happily help with the geo efforts
Your pic of the Satanoperca sp. 'redlip' while collecting in Peru is my desktop BTW...
JK47;4646764; said:1) yay you of all people is getting geos!!
2) pool filter sand is the most common recommended and is pefect. I prefer Lapis Lustre but it can be hard to find/expensive. I have also had success with Quickrete "media" sand from Home Depot. It's very cheap but is somewhat fine in grain size. Perfect for geos but if you have overkill turnover rates may be an issue.
Drop me a PM anytime and I will happily help with the geo efforts
Your pic of the Satanoperca sp. 'redlip' while collecting in Peru is my desktop BTW...
really appreciate the advice...thanks
(my apologies for not answering your PM about the pic from the Peru trip....alot of info I would like to add along and never enough time ...will do soon
)We got so many nets full of those guys.....and I release 'em all
(collection point was upper Rio Nanay)
nomad;4646773; said:really appreciate the advice...thanks
(my apologies for not answering your PM about the pic from the Peru trip....alot of info I would like to add along and never enough time ...will do soon
We got so many nets full of those guys.....and I release 'em all
No worries at all bro. It's funny how fish are food in one region and prized in another. Again if you ever need help in the geo side of things just drop me a note. See you around
JK47;4646764; said:1) yay you of all people is getting geos!!
2) pool filter sand is the most common recommended and is pefect. I prefer Lapis Lustre but it can be hard to find/expensive. I have also had success with Quickrete "media" sand from Home Depot. It's very cheap but is somewhat fine in grain size. Perfect for geos but if you have overkill turnover rates may be an issue.
Drop me a PM anytime and I will happily help with the geo efforts
Your pic of the Satanoperca sp. 'redlip' while collecting in Peru is my desktop BTW...
I still say we start selling that lapis lustre.
Curious, would anyone be interested in buying some great sand? You can see it in my 125 gallon thread and in all JK47s tanks. Comes in two different grades (coarse and fine) and is extremely clean (I don't even wash it and water is crystal clear immediately). Post or PM me.
Use pool filter sand. It cost a little bit more than the play sand, but is easier to rinse/clean and less likely to cloud up and clog any intakes or impellors on filters. It is still far cheaper than the sand at the LFS as well. I researched long and hard before using sand for my first time and went with the pool filter sand. I am very happy with it.
I used play sand initially (quick-crete) and after a few weeks I found a source for 3m colorquartz and now I'm loving that. The play sand just stayed looking dirty and cheap...really don't understand how sand looks cheap, but it did to me. I didn't like the way it stirred up or anything. And honestly the biggest turnoff was probably just the color.
The 3m colorquartz is great though. It was a little tougher to clean, but thats probably because I thought I needed to clean it the exact same way as play sand....I don't think it needs to be done quite as thoroughly, or maybe just with a different method. This sand doesn't clump as bad as the play sand, its a lot heavier, the grain size is perfect (my convicts dig in it all the time, they're fine) etc etc etc
I have a few plants in it in my 65 and they seem to be staying alive. I have no ferts c02 OR sufficient lighting...but they're still green after a few weeks or a month, and the anubias has been growing a pretty good ball of roots
edit: clockwork, that sand is pretty tempting. I'm now torn between that & a black/red mix for my 55. In my 65 I have 70% red & 30% black, it looks pretty cool I think. For the 55 I'm thinking reverse, and it'll look pretty twisted...afterall, it is my bichirs & friends tank But the natural look to that sand is kind of appealing as well.
The 3m colorquartz is great though. It was a little tougher to clean, but thats probably because I thought I needed to clean it the exact same way as play sand....I don't think it needs to be done quite as thoroughly, or maybe just with a different method. This sand doesn't clump as bad as the play sand, its a lot heavier, the grain size is perfect (my convicts dig in it all the time, they're fine) etc etc etc
I have a few plants in it in my 65 and they seem to be staying alive. I have no ferts c02 OR sufficient lighting...but they're still green after a few weeks or a month, and the anubias has been growing a pretty good ball of roots
edit: clockwork, that sand is pretty tempting. I'm now torn between that & a black/red mix for my 55. In my 65 I have 70% red & 30% black, it looks pretty cool I think. For the 55 I'm thinking reverse, and it'll look pretty twisted...afterall, it is my bichirs & friends tank
But the natural look to that sand is kind of appealing as well.
You can also try estes marine sand. Their black sand is a very nice alternative to tahitian moon sand, and much cheaper. And it's pretty easy to clean. You can get 5lbs for $4 or less. Btw, I think it's great that your willing to change your setup to cater to your fish. A lot of people would have either not gotten them, or just said eff it, and thrown them in.