sand for freshwater tank

[Luxauterna]

ive been googling that sand JK47, and not having any luck with finding sellers other than mainstream construction distributors :/

 

[JK47]

Yeah that does change my opinion, I'm glad I asked... If your tap water is hard (PH 8.0 or close) then the sand I mentioned above will do fine as will the pool filter sand. If your tap water is not on the hard side, you probably want an argonite or coral based sand that will buffer up your PH unless you plan to buffer the water by some other means.

I don't keep haps, peacocks or fronts so I can't speak to their husbandry, sorry.

 

[manlyfish]

you know you wouldn't be able to keep a coloumbian cat in that tank they need marine when mature. and what really good sand could i find thats like snow white?

 

[JK47]

you know you wouldn't be able to keep a coloumbian cat in that tank they need marine when mature. and what really good sand could i find thats like snow white?

I know on the east coast "leslies" pool filter sand is snow white. I can't get it on the west coast though. the only white sand here is quickrete media (NOT ALL PURPOSE) sand. The brown bag with the green writting on it. I keep it in my 125 gallon. I absolutly hate how fine it is though. It doesn't get picked up by my filters but gets sucked up in the phython when I do WC's...

 

[Luxauterna]

oh , well ty for the input . Will the argonite sand (higher ph) be harder on the catfish species i had mentioned? Thx manlyfish for the info on the columbians :/

 

[FKNChristopH]

I too have been wondering how would I go about using sand? I'm planning on getting piranhas, and seen people use sand or really really fine gravel. When I used to have them, I did 30% water changes on the weekly with 2 fuval 404's running on my 100g tank. I did the water changes with a gravel vacuum and cleaned it that way.

Do you still use the gravel vacuum when dealing with sand?
Doesn't the sand come up with the feces and food debris?
Easier to clean/maintain?
I know it looks a hell of alot cleaner then black gravel in a black tank.

 

[JK47]

oh , well ty for the input . Will the argonite sand (higher ph) be harder on the catfish species i had mentioned? Thx manlyfish for the info on the columbians :/

Do you know your overall hardness, what's is your PH? You may not need the argonite if your water is hard. I can't say on the catfish/PH question, I only keep SA cichlids.

I too have been wondering how would I go about using sand? I'm planning on getting piranhas, and seen people use sand or really really fine gravel. When I used to have them, I did 30% water changes on the weekly with 2 fuval 404's running on my 100g tank. I did the water changes with a gravel vacuum and cleaned it that way.

Do you still use the gravel vacuum when dealing with sand?
Doesn't the sand come up with the feces and food debris?
Easier to clean/maintain?
I know it looks a hell of alot cleaner then black gravel in a black tank.

If you get a decent sand, yes you vac it just like gravel, the sand should be heavy enough to fall back down and not escape the suction tube. Yes it's easier to maintain (someone will chime in and say otherwise but then again they probably didn't pay for decent sand ) and IMO looks 10 times better than gravel...

 

[Boose1357]

Pool Filter Sand FTW! Cheap and if ur keepin earth eaters they love it.

 

[FKNChristopH]

Does the sand act cause a shift in ph?

 

[JK47]

Does the sand act cause a shift in ph?

Depending on the type, yes it can raise (buffer up) PH. Coral based sand (argonite, come caribsea verieties etc...) buffers PH. Silica based sand (PFS, play sand, quickrete, etc..) is inert and does not buffer the PH.