sand for substrate?

G

galen

AC Members
Jan 26, 2007
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NY
well, i got a bucket full of sand from lake ontario and some big slabs of rock with a few fine pieces of driftwood. i want to setup a tank with the sand. i know about cleaning it and stuff, no problem. question is, how do i keep the sand clean of fish poo when the aquarium is established? like, do i use a gravel vac or something? the poo will in all likelihood get mixed in with the sand so how do i keep it clear of that kind of contaminant?
 
If you have enough filtration and flow, the flow will keep the debris (poop included) until the filter grabs it. An occasional sift through the sand to prevent dead spots of anoxic toxic bacteria is all that is needed. I have sand in all my tanks and never vacuum anymore because there is nothing to vacuum out.
 
i would like to keep some julli cory cats in the tank. would they be problem with their way of digging in the sand and consequently mixing some of the fish poo into the substrate? thanks!
 
actually they will do good for the tank by mixing up the substrate.
 
Is the sand course?

I personally would not use sand from any lake. I use commercial sand (Estes' Marine Sand). With all the pollution it is not worth the risk. And there is no way of knowing what pathogens are waiting in there. Estes' Marine Sand costs the same as gravel and needs no cleaning. I see no reason to go with anything else in a freshwater tank.
 
reptileguy2727 said:
Is the sand course?

I personally would not use sand from any lake. I use commercial sand (Estes' Marine Sand). With all the pollution it is not worth the risk. And there is no way of knowing what pathogens are waiting in there. Estes' Marine Sand costs the same as gravel and needs no cleaning. I see no reason to go with anything else in a freshwater tank.
Click to expand...

i agree.
 
well, i did it. i washed the sand like a dozen times and rinsed it with a moderate aount of chemicals. i doubt the sand had been cleaned (like NEVER) so it was a little dirty but not too bad really. overall, the stink from the lake was the killer. i got a huge tree trunk that i cut to fit my hex tank. i also put in a few rocks i got from the lakeshore. the sand is curious, as it is littered with small fragments of zebra mussel shells. i took the sand from above the line where high tide was so it should be good. ill post pics soon.
 
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