Substrate choice?

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Sierra0103

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I have a 54 Gallon tall tank it currently has some of this fertilized gravel in it which I used to start off some plants. I want to change the substrate to like sand. I wanna try pool filter sand because that's what in my other tanks. This is my last tank with gravel. I'm scared to do it because I don't wanna Lose my Val's.


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ZorroNet

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Play sand is cheap and AWESOME! You'll need two 50 lb bags for a 55 gal. That should cost you less than $10 :)

My vals instantly did well sending out runners straight away when I moved them from a 20 Long with only EcoComplete. I also instantly liked sand better because it plants so easily and it fills in around the roots efficiently and effectively holding the plants down unlike the larger gravel particles. You should put MTS or another burrowing species in the tank as well for aeration so it doesn't compact as much. It's the one downside to sand I have found. Mine is invert only so my black worms and MTS handle aeration for me. All plants are doing well.


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calivivarium1

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I used playsand in the tank in my sig.. worked great. Just rinse it (any sand, really) first before adding it to your tank. I have also used pool filter sand and Flourite black sand (or whatever they call their sand). Pool Filter Sand was a bit more expensive (like $15 a 50lb I think) but for the tank I was using it for it worked out well (it was a much lighter color).
 

tanker

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Do not worry. Even if most of your val die, they do grow back. I have lotss of val and contantly must pull out some and trash them.
 

jm1212

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pool filter sand all the way. you can find options that have literally nothing added to them. the grain is not too small like moon sand (or even some types of play sand) that allow it to be easily stirred up, but still looks and feels like sand. pool filter sands are also usually a natural white color instead of the unnatural-looking bleached white sands that you find in pet stores. if you're lucky, you may find a bag of black pool filter sand (albiet, it will be a very dark grey and obviously natural black), which will make a pretty awesome looking substrate.
 

discuspaul

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Most play sands are extremely fine grade, contain a lot of dust, dirt and grit, and must therefore be rinsed extremely well to avoid water clouding. Being very fine, it usually compacts very heavily and is much more prone to the development of anaerobic gas pockets. It free-flows into the water column when even slightly disturbed and can easily get pulled up into & clog up filter impeller assemblies. It's also very difficult to clean easily using a common aquarium vac tool, and will therefore get siphoned out very readily.

Pool filter sand on the other hand, is clean, requires very little or no rinsing, is denser and larger-graded so will not clog filters nor getting siphoned up when vacuuming.
Spend a little more money on PFS and get a much better quality sand substrate than play sand.
 

Byron Amazonas

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Just so you don't get scared off play sand... I have been using it now in five tanks for over three years and there is no compacting problems, no filter damage, etc. It looks natural (white sand is not "natural" however "nice" it may look to some), plants do well in it, and substrate fish (if these are intended) such as corys and loaches will love it. Yes you have to rinse it a lot; it took me some time to do the two bags for my 5-foot 115g, but I have never regretted it. If you do need to "clean" it, it cleans well with a Python; you intend plants obviously, so any disturbance of the sand substrate will be minimal anyway. The other nice thing is that detritus does not "show" like it does with black or white substrates.

Byron.
 

discuspaul

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I too have used play sand several times, and have subsequently used PFS in several tanks for the past 4-5 years and there is no comparison in my view. PFS is far superior in many respects, as far as I'm concerned, and I wouldn't use anything else, especially in discus tanks.

I think, Byron, that you have been lucky with the type of play sand you've been using, and no doubt learned how to deal with it properly. I've read numerous accounts on several forums of how dissatisfied many play sand users are.
To each his own, I suppose.
 

Sierra0103

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So today i finally made it out to a place to get some sand. im gonna see how play sand goes and compare it to my others tanks which are pool filter sand. but i have two fifty pound bags of it. So if all goes according to my plan for this weekend. i should be able to have the sand in by monday and the tank trying to get back to normal.
 
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