Awww, but i really want sand

[Jamie]

OK, I put in the order for my 150g tank w canopy and stand- I'm also ordering all of the millions of accesories that I need...

Substrate?! I know- Flourite is the best way to go for a planted tank- I've come to accept the color of the regular type- not the red. But what I really like is the "look" of sand. I have this vision of a sand bottom with some driftwood and clay pots- sort of like 80gJoe's. I've looked up a few posts and keep reading all these bad things about what when happens when the sand compacts and the whole deal with H2S killing the tank- and of course I don't want that to happen. Is it possible to layer the bottom with a couple inches of flourite and cover it with sand- most people are recommending pool sand. Will the flourite still be effective or will it be useless underneath- I dont know if the roots actually have to be in contact with the gravel. Or is it safe to just go sand all the way? By the way- not trying to stick up for sand- but why is onyx sand ok? Is it excempt from compacting and forming anerobic pockets?

BTW on a different note- I purchased a Pressurize CO2 system. I found a local welding supply that sold me a 10lb tank for 53 bucks- and he filled it for free! Yeah, I was pretty happy. I'm building my own inline diffuser out of PVC- a look-alike of the reactor 1000 from aquabotanic. I think I got a great deal on a regulator combo- I got the regulator, bubble counter, needle valve, solenoid AND Milwaulkie s122 PH Controller for 170 bucks at aquacave.com. I also picked up a decent sized peice of driftwood at a very reasonable price.

I'm still on the fence about a couple of other items- since my tank is 60" long, finding a suitable light fixture has been a pain in the but. I think I'll have to settle for a custom sealife retrofit with 4 96W PC bulbs. I really want to talk to ahsupply but they're on vacation untill the 11th. Any persuasions to hold off and talk to them- they seem to get a fair amount of praise. I thought I was sold on my return pump for my sump but after today I'm still undecided. I was going to buy a little giant, then saw the custom sea life T4, supposedly very quite (less than 30db) Then I went to the LFS and they recommended blue line- which I will research right after this post- These decisions are mind boggling- trying to keep everything perfect is a pain- but I know it will all pay off with a great finished product.

If anyone has any input- I'd very much appreciate it- Thanks Jamie

[125gJoe]

Originally posted by Jamie
OK, I put in the order for my 150g tank w canopy and stand- I'm also ordering all of the millions of accesories that I need...

Substrate?! I know- Flourite is the best way to go for a planted tank- ..... But what I really like is the "look" of sand. ..... By the way- not trying to stick up for sand- but why is onyx sand ok? ..... Congrats on the 150g!!

I also like the way sand looks. To me a finer substrate looks better and, somehow makes a tank seem larger. Onyx sand is not really sand - but a smaller gravel that's almost sand....

SeaChem will send you free samples of their substrates. When you get them, wet them (small glass jars work), to get a better idea of what they look like.

You shouldn't put sand over Flourite since eventually it will all mix together. Regular Flourite looks good by itself too. (IMO)

[punch]

I have sand over latrite and theres very little mixing, I used sand blasting sand wich seems a little heavier then other sand as when I do a cleaning, it falls back down fairley quickly. No problem with the plants. I have had it this way for a year now.
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=1282755&uid=653489&members=1
Here's some pics. I used some gravel also. (that did get mixed with sand)

[cpr4cpu]

onyx sand, eco-complete from Carib-Sea, or smooth sand with laterite is fine. If you have bottom dwellers you should try to find sand with smooth edges so they don't cut and nick the barbels and risk infection. Isn't sand blasting sand pretty rough around the edges?

I tried the eco-complete (which is about the cost of flourite, but 20 pounds instead) and it is all black. Very good stuff, reminds me of black onyx sand, but just a bit larger.

[punch]

No problems with sand blasting sand being rough, It feels pretty smooth to me, My corries and loaches like it. Actually I'm redoing me tank and I'm switching to ... ecco complete! I like the black color.