Bought new tank, want to change some things!

J

jtreminio

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Feb 18, 2010
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I just bought a 75 gallon tank.

Right now it has gravel for substrate... but I don't really dig it. I really want to make this into a nice planted tank. I also want to have that awesome java moss wall I've been seeing around online!

I read somewhere I can buy playground sand from Lowes or Home Depot for a lot cheaper than LFS prices. Is this truly a safe substrate to use? Will most plants do fine with just the sand, or would I need to buy some sort of plant soil to put underneath the sand?

My LFS cautioned me against doing this, saying the gravel probably has some bacteria keeping a bunch of toxins in check. The aquarium came with a FilStar xp3, should this keep everything normalized during this change?

I just moved the aquarium to my house last night (stayed up until 3 am getting everything working!). I used the same water, didn't through any of it away, just lost maybe 2 or 3 inches off the top that I used distilled water to top off... so I'm assuming the water has some bacteria as well, right?

Would taking all the water out again and placing the fish in buckets again so soon hurt them?

And last question: If I can buy sand, are there different colors? I was thinking of maybe buying black and white (if available) and putting 1 lair of black on bottom of tank with a lair of white, to give it a nice contrast. Don't know if this would look good at all!

edit:

Also! How do I level my sand when I first put it into the empty tank? I don't want or need it to be 'perfectly' level, but would like it to be a little smoother than my first attempt with gravel where everything looks bunched in one spot.
 
jtreminio said:
I just bought a 75 gallon tank.

Right now it has gravel for substrate... but I don't really dig it. I really want to make this into a nice planted tank. I also want to have that awesome java moss wall I've been seeing around online!

I read somewhere I can buy playground sand from Lowes or Home Depot for a lot cheaper than LFS prices. Is this truly a safe substrate to use? Will most plants do fine with just the sand, or would I need to buy some sort of plant soil to put underneath the sand?

Pool Filter Sand for Home Depot works well for people, though I've never tried it. It is a safe substrate and plants will do fine. The only down side is if the sand isnt' stirred enough, anaerobic gases build up and can damage fish.

My LFS cautioned me against doing this, saying the gravel probably has some bacteria keeping a bunch of toxins in check. The aquarium came with a FilStar xp3, should this keep everything normalized during this change?

I have a FilStar XP2 and it works great. You might consider getting another canister filter down the road.

I just moved the aquarium to my house last night (stayed up until 3 am getting everything working!). I used the same water, didn't through any of it away, just lost maybe 2 or 3 inches off the top that I used distilled water to top off... so I'm assuming the water has some bacteria as well, right?

The filter (as long as it didn't dry out) still has some bacteria and along with the gravel.

Would taking all the water out again and placing the fish in buckets again so soon hurt them?

As long as there are bacteria in the filter (mainly) and the substrate, you can swap out whatever you need. I'd probably switch out the sand first that way you don't have to mess with it later on.

And last question: If I can buy sand, are there different colors? I was thinking of maybe buying black and white (if available) and putting 1 lair of black on bottom of tank with a lair of white, to give it a nice contrast. Don't know if this would look good at all!

I don't thin you'll see the black under the white. It might end up getting mixed up. They have Cichlid sand (which raises the pH) that is black and white. There are black sand such as Fluorite that are good for plants.
Click to expand...

My answers in red.
 
Thanks a ton for your very quick response.

The xp3 is rated for 175 gallons ... my tank is 75. Is there a reason I may need a new filter down the road?

You made a good point in the building up of the gases in the sand... and I can't vacuum it like gravel, right?

Can I take the gravel out and rinse it out with tap water and then throw it back in (first in a bucket to detox it of course)? I'm thinking I'd like to start off with semi-clean substrate.

I have a bunch of substrate that was used in a saltwater tank over 4 years ago. I'm going to say any living thing that was on it before is now dead because it'd been siting in storage in a bucket, dry, for 4 years. Can I rinse this off and put it in place of the gravel? I think it's finer than the gravel, so it could possibly go underneath the gravel and then gravel on top!

And what I REALLY want is maybe some sort of blue print people have made for standard-sized tanks, so I can look and plan out the design of the tank ahead of time so I don't have to rearrange everything again in the future... I don't know if I'm being clear...

I want a planted tank, but would like some sort of "go buy this and this and this to get what you see in this picture. the substrate is such and such" that I can simply print out a copy of, and arrange my tank to look pretty much the same as what I see.

Sorry if I'm asking too much, just want a nice tank like everyone else on here does!
 
Vacuuming sand is as easy as just hovering over the sand to pick up the small pieces of waste.

Do you know what type of substrate it is (ie. sand, aragonite, etc.)? You would need to do some heavy cleaning as the organisms are probably dead, but you don't want anything rotting and fouling up the tank.

By blue print, are you referring to a background? Most, if not all, stores carry the standard backgrounds that they can cut to the size of your tank.
 
jtreminio said:
Thanks a ton for your very quick response.

The xp3 is rated for 175 gallons ... my tank is 75. Is there a reason I may need a new filter down the road?

I apologize. I didn't know what the XP3 was rated for.

You made a good point in the building up of the gases in the sand... and I can't vacuum it like gravel, right?

You can get Malaysian Trumpet Snails which bury in the sand and mix it up. The downside is they can overpopulate a tank.

Can I take the gravel out and rinse it out with tap water and then throw it back in (first in a bucket to detox it of course)? I'm thinking I'd like to start off with semi-clean substrate.

That's fine.

I have a bunch of substrate that was used in a saltwater tank over 4 years ago. I'm going to say any living thing that was on it before is now dead because it'd been siting in storage in a bucket, dry, for 4 years. Can I rinse this off and put it in place of the gravel? I think it's finer than the gravel, so it could possibly go underneath the gravel and then gravel on top!

If it was for saltwater, I'm just afraid it would raise the pH of your tank.

And what I REALLY want is maybe some sort of blue print people have made for standard-sized tanks, so I can look and plan out the design of the tank ahead of time so I don't have to rearrange everything again in the future... I don't know if I'm being clear...

There really isn't blue print for "aquascaping" a tank if that's what you are talking about. The beauty of an aquarium is you never see the same aquarium twice. You can aquascape it the way you want. I generally like having driftwood and some rocks from the pet store (or some inert rocks that won't leech anything in the water) for hardscape. If you want some ideas, check my signature with my tank or check out the photo gallery.

I want a planted tank, but would like some sort of "go buy this and this and this to get what you see in this picture. the substrate is such and such" that I can simply print out a copy of, and arrange my tank to look pretty much the same as what I see.

I think you should search around and see what you like. It's kinda hard to provide everything.

Sorry if I'm asking too much, just want a nice tank like everyone else on here does!
Click to expand...

Remember each tank is unique. I advice you to print a picture for an inspiration, but create your own tank, not copy someone elses! :)
 
Thanks for all the help guys.

I had to call a ton of places ... ALL the pool supply stores sell 50lbs of pool filter sand for $14+. Home Depot sells it for $6. Guess where I'm going! I wish I could have black sand but oh well. I'll just use darker decorations.

There's also a stone supply place 4 minutes from my house that sells large lava rocks (http://www.contractors-stone.com/river-rocks/red-lava-rock.html) and misc. river rocks (http://www.contractors-stone.com/river-rocks/arkansas-river-rocks.html).

I've read warnings from multiple forums to not boil rocks or else the gases inside may explode. My understanding is that to get that high of a temperature inside, the rock would need to be boiled for a while. Can I simply dunk the rock in boiling water for 3 seconds and be done? Boiling is simply to kill any harmful bacteria on the outside of the rock, right?

I plan to completely remove all the old gravel ... it just doesn't look good. Is there anything I can do to minimize the shock of losing so much beneficial bacteria when I do this move? Since I know a bunch of beneficial bacteria are in the gravel...

Thanks for the assistance guys!
 
I have been out of the states for a while and just got back so i am not sure if they still make it. But you can try finding 3M colorquartz. It comes in all types of colors and is fish tank safe. It's sold in 50 pound bags and if i remember correctly was not that expensive.
 
Those lava rocks look fantastic! I might have to look for them in the local rock yards. When adding a hardscape(rocks, wood) try to stick to a certain type of rock rather than a mish mosh of different color rocks, it's much more appealing to the eye...
Sand isn't really the greatest substrate for plants IMO. Whatever you decide to do don't put sand on top of nutrient rich substrate, over time the small sand will mix and wind up on the bottom and look a mess. If you don't mind not having a foreground carpet plant, sand can look awesome in a planted tank.

This is a perfect way to do a sand foreground and a nutrient rich substrate in the back.
Notice how the transition between the back and front is made from using moss, this way you don't see the substrate line, Beautiful!
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I actually replaced my gravel with pool filter sand last night. What a kick in the butt that was!

The sand I bought at Home Depot isn't really white ... it's more a light-to-medium brown color. I think it still looks good though.

Plants stayed put where I placed them, even as I filled the tank back up with water.

The only issue I had is apparently my filter's quick-disconnect isn't 100% effective at closing the in valve, so I got a ton of water while I tried to figure out what the issue was >=[

Oh and a Danio died from jumping out of the bucket I was keeping him in!

Tomorrow I'll go and buy the lava rock ... would like to buy some moss and maybe a plant or two so the fish have some cover. Does anyone know of an LFS that sells plants in the northern DFW area?
 
Would anyone have any links to aquarium images with volcanic rock (and moss) or slate?

I want to get some ideas. I'm the worst designer in the world!
 
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