Aquarium sand

sciencegeek

AC Members
Jan 7, 2006
17
0
0
Hello everyone. I'm new to these forums. Currently I have one 6 gallon tank with a pair of bristle nose plecos that have spawned twice so far, and 4 gold tetras. A friend of mine is giving me a used tank tomorrow. He wasnt sure if it is a 10 gallon or 20 gallon. It will be a freshwater tank, and I'm not sure what I want to put in it. I was looking into blue ram cichlids, but I'm not sure what fish they are compatable with. If anyone has any ideas that would help me a lot. Also what caught my eye was aquarium sand. I was doing some research on it and found it to be mainly for saltwater tanks, but I found some websites that said you can use it in a freshwater tank. I guess it all just depends on the type of fish you have? I love the look of sand. Any information would be greatly appraciated.
 
The black onyx is a sand and is for freshwater tanks. It looks very pretty. There are a variety of freshwater sands to choose from. I love the look of sand as well. However, there are some specifically for saltwater that you want to stay away from.
 
There are many different kinds of sand you could put in an freshwater aquarium. Just make sure they are inert, since some of them can release some unwanted products. If you were to go for a cichlids tank, you may want to put in crushed coral or aragonite even if they are made for saltwater tanks in particular, since it will buffer the water to the right pH and hardness.

Also, sand is a lot harder to take care of then gravel, so I suggest finding out what you want to put in your tank first, then ask yourself if sand is really needed in your case.

Hope this helps, and good luck with your new tank!
 
AquariaCentral.com