brendon Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 Is there anything wrong with putting sand from the beach in the tank as substrate or should i just stick with good old gravel ? cheers brendon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vwboy53 Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 Is there anything wrong with putting sand from the beach in the tank as substrate or should i just stick with good old gravel ? cheers brendon ← I think this question was answered in one of the threads in the FAQ section, but anyway, collecting sand off a beach is technically illegal in Australia But the main issue is that the sand is often unclean and dirty with many contaminants, but it depends on the where you get it from. If you really want sand, try buying some sydney sand or newcastle sand from a landscaping supply place, or even bunnings warehouse. ($5.35 it cost me for 20kg). Hope this helps, Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luke Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 Nothing wrong with having either of thoses substrates , when I first set up my tanks I used gravel and then after a couple of years I changed them all to beach sand . Now I have a mix some tanks with sand and some with gravel , some fish would prefer the sand such as sand sifters from lake Tang Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardb0iled Posted January 22, 2006 Share Posted January 22, 2006 Get pool filter sand from a pool supplies shop. It comes in 25kg bags for about $10-$12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noyd Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 If your going to use sand just be aware not to get a very fine grade, because it will be a headache if you are going to be cleaning it by siphoning up the dirt often, it will suck up the sand. Also if your filter intake is too close to the sand you will then too get heaps of it in your filter which can cause it to clog up/break down, and also especially if you have very active or spooked fish that will kick the sand up into the intake. I have this problem with Sydney sand. I've seen a lot nicer, also finer sands but it's just hard to maintain. I get half a handful of sand at the bottom of my canister filter everytime I clean it which is every 3 or so months. If I could change the substrate in my tanks now it would definitely be some sort of dark, normal to fine grade gravel, easy to clean and will make the fishes colours stand out much nicer. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Hi Brendon, There is nothing wrong with either. Its up to you what you like the look of and best suits you fish. So the first question is what fish will be in the tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brendon Posted January 23, 2006 Author Share Posted January 23, 2006 the fish in the tank are just some malawi cichlids , peacocks , acei , e yellow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardb0iled Posted January 23, 2006 Share Posted January 23, 2006 Trust me, check out pool filter sand. I have used it in multiple tanks for over 10 years with none of the problems others report from playsand and builders sand etc. Everyone I've told to use it has been very happy with it. Pool filter sand has been seived to certain grain size so you dont get the very fine particles and there is very little dust, a quick rinse in a bucket and its ready to go in. It doesnt pack down and get dead spots like other sands. The fish waste collects on top of the sand in pockets so you just suck it out with a syphon hose - you can gravel vac it too if you like, just dont use a very large gravel vac. Best of all it looks natural! I wouldnt use anything else in any of my tanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee427 Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 Trust me, check out pool filter sand. I have used it in multiple tanks for over 10 years with none of the problems others report from playsand and builders sand etc. Everyone I've told to use it has been very happy with it. Pool filter sand has been seived to certain grain size so you dont get the very fine particles and there is very little dust, a quick rinse in a bucket and its ready to go in. It doesnt pack down and get dead spots like other sands. The fish waste collects on top of the sand in pockets so you just suck it out with a syphon hose - you can gravel vac it too if you like, just dont use a very large gravel vac. Best of all it looks natural! I wouldnt use anything else in any of my tanks ← what colour is the poolsand sand buddy thanks Lee Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hardb0iled Posted January 27, 2006 Share Posted January 27, 2006 what colour is the poolsand sand buddy thanks Lee ← I have a couple of slightly different colors in my tanks, one I set up years ago has a typically sandy color, one I just set-up a few weeks ago is a little lighter color. I think it depends what brand you get, they are all naturally quarried sand, just seived and packaged for using in pool filters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee427 Posted January 30, 2006 Share Posted January 30, 2006 I have a couple of slightly different colors in my tanks, one I set up years ago has a typically sandy color, one I just set-up a few weeks ago is a little lighter color. I think it depends what brand you get, they are all naturally quarried sand, just seived and packaged for using in pool filters ← thanks mate ill have to see if i can find myself some in a couple of months when i get my new tank cheers mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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