# Which sand to buy?



## Tabby216 (Feb 20, 2013)

I have recently set up a planted tank and the gravel that's in there isn't enough to cover the flora max substrate so I am thinking of buying sand but I'm not sure which brand to buy.

I want a sand that is small, hold onto the roots of plants well, and will not cloudy my water. In the future I want to own a red cherry shrimp and the filter isn't 2x bigger or stronger than my 10 gallon tank from the looks of it.

The plants I have in there are fast growing plants, moneyworts and anacharis


Any tips! Thank you :-D


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

We used Super Natural http://www.amazon.com/Carib-Sea-Instant-Aquarium-Torpedo/dp/B0027IXR5S/ref=pd_sim_sbs_petsupplies_1 It's a little thicker than normal sand, they have a sand also but it's very, very fine. 

I put a patch in all the tanks for the corys, so they would have sand to play in and it didn't even think about making the cloudy water for even a second. I love it and would recommend it to anyone. I plan to use it for any future tanks we set up as well.


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

I use regular play sand. $5 for 50lbs. One trick I learned after setting up more than one NPT is to take the darker undersub (dirt or whatever) and move it back about an inch from the front. The sand then goes over the sub-sub but also makes the tank look like it is just sand, no dirt. This looks more attractive IMO. Other people have gotten the black Super Natural sand and then you don't notice the difference in colors as much. It just depends on the look you are going for. However, the colored sands can be much more expensive. I personally love the look of some of them (the red and black in particular), but a natural color sandy bottom done right will look more like a little bit of nature you just scooped up and put in your house! So again, it just really depends on the look you are going for.


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

Unless you are going to drain and re-plant your plants i wouldn't use a non-aquarium type dirt such as play sand. If you pour it in a tank already filled, it will take hours, if not days to clear up and it will be all over your plants. It' s much cheaper but when we tried the play sand i was unhappy with the amount that the fish kicked up playing in it because it was always all over everything, drove me nuts.


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

I just had to add sand to one of my tanks, and yes, it took about 2 days to settle. However, the plants Tabby has aren't really root plants anyways, at least the anacharis definitely isn't. They would be really simple to re-plant. Plus, I can say that the cloudy water, while unattractive for a few days, is perfectly safe for fish to live in. Having two ten gallons ATM and looking to get a 40-60 gallon once I move means figuring out how to do things on the cheap! Plus I consider them kicking it up part of that natural look. 

Realistically, without root plants, sand might be a bit of a problem unless it is poked every week or so. The anacharis might develop some roots, but not enough to create a root base under the sand and in the flora-max. Plus, once you cover the flora-max with sand those nutrients will pretty much be trapped under the sand, which would be fine (ideal actually) for root plants, but not so great for the ones you have. You will either need to add ferts for them, or just watch to make sure they don't start getting scraggly. A nice amazon sword would work well in your tank and actually benefit from the sub, as would chain swords, wisteria, or vals. Crypts are less hardy and more slow growing, but they are a favorite of mine.


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## Tabby216 (Feb 20, 2013)

Those 2 plants won't be the only ones in there I will be getting temple plant and bacopa carolina and I might just make the anacharis float. But then again I won't mind if I have to poke holes each week


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## cheylillymama (Apr 30, 2013)

I use pool filter sand, both as a cap over clay dirt from a local organic veggie garden used in my 2 Npt's, and as the lone substrate in my other tanks.
Works like a charm, and I got 50lbs of it for less than 5 bucks.


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## Stone (Jan 6, 2013)

Here is something that I have seen several members on other forums using in their tanks,http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/black-diamond-20-40-blasting-media-50-lb , I personally have not tried it yet but it will be tried in about a week, the only prep I have seen anyone do to it is let it soak in a bucket with a1/20 clorax solution, I have not seen anyone say anything negative on it people have asked will it scratch the glass/acrylic on the tank? will it cut my fish? all sorts of questions and I have not seen one person say anything bad about it, and I plan on trying http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/safe-t-sorbtrade%3B-oil-absorbent-40-lb as a substrate you would need to use root tabs or a liquid fert be it wont have all the stuff say eco complete/floramax has in it but yeah you get enough to do a few tanks between the 2 for about 13 dollars, now waits for the internet experts to chime in, on how wrong I am....


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

Stone said:


> Here is something that I have seen several members on other forums using in their tanks,http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/black-diamond-20-40-blasting-media-50-lb , I personally have not tried it yet but it will be tried in about a week, the only prep I have seen anyone do to it is let it soak in a bucket with a1/20 clorax solution, I have not seen anyone say anything negative on it people have asked will it scratch the glass/acrylic on the tank? will it cut my fish? all sorts of questions and I have not seen one person say anything bad about it, and I plan on trying http://www.tractorsupply.com/en/store/safe-t-sorbtrade%3B-oil-absorbent-40-lb as a substrate you would need to use root tabs or a liquid fert be it wont have all the stuff say eco complete/floramax has in it but yeah you get enough to do a few tanks between the 2 for about 13 dollars, now waits for the internet experts to chime in, on how wrong I am....



We are going to try this ^ alone or underneath http://www.tractorsupply.com/webapp...ory_rn=&top_category=&urlLangId=&cm_vc=-10005, also I have seen no negative comments about this either and it looks really nice if you don't mind the black.


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## Tabby216 (Feb 20, 2013)

Update how it goes and post pictures please 

My first option went toward pool filter sand but I cannot find any local stores near me that sales them in #20 grade form. And now I am looking into Carib sea instant aquarium tahitian moon. Play sand seems to increase the pH and I don't want to risk that.


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## Lost Eventide (Jun 30, 2012)

As someone who personally uses the Black Diamond in all her tanks, I'm a HUGE advocate for it. Just make sure you rinse it out really well first as some of the pieces float and there is a residue that will cloud your tank for a day or two otherwise. There will still likely be some clouding regardless, but mine settled in a couple hours or so with a thorough rinsing. The dark substrate looks gorgeous though, and brightly coloured fish such as my neon tetras and my bettas all really pop with it. Plus the bright green of the plants against it is really pretty =3

I personally didn't use the Clorax solution though. I just put it in a bucket and swirled it around with a house, drain the water, and repeat for a while.

Some people have mentioned it may be a bit sharp for cories, but I have some on this substrate and they do fine - no barbel damage or anything. Just make sure you get a medium grit. The larger sizes, I believe, do tend to be a bit sharper, and the smaller sizes may compact too much. I believe the size I have is 20/40.

If you have an acrylic tank though, you have to be careful when scrubbing the glass. It won't scratch by being pushed by the current or something, but if you get some caught up in your algae scrubber it WILL scratch. I had someone scratch my 55g acrylic because they caught some sand under my Mag-Float, and I scratched it myself with my hand-held scrubber. If you have glass though, it won't be an issue, and sometimes I even use it as a buffer to scrub off stubborn algae in glass tanks.

I originally had pool filter sand, but I noticed it tended to stain and get dirty after a while, which is part of the reason I switched it. That and I just wanted a darker substrate.


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## Tabby216 (Feb 20, 2013)

Hmm I'm going to look into that one then...do any local pet stores sale it or is it only offered online?


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

Look for a Tractor Supply or farm supply store, most all of those should have it.


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## Kytkattin (May 15, 2011)

Just to chime in on the play sand thing again, it does make the PH really high for the first couple of weeks, then it drops. The pool sand would be the better option if you want to go with the cheap, natural sand look.


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