Planted Tanks With Sand Bottoms

tekonus

...meh?
Nov 20, 2008
471
1
16
Long Island, NY
I love the look of a planted tank with a sand substrate. My 33g planted tank does quite fine with play-sand as substrate and I really can't see it looking as nice with anything else. I rarely see others with this setup when they post pics, though. Show me your planted tanks with sand bottoms! Or at least tell me if I'm in the minority for liking this combo.
 
75 gal. playsand no co2 no ferts
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55 gal playsand no co2 no ferts
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these pics are a few months old, and i've had some growth since then
 
Bush, what is that on top of your 55g tank...??

Old pics, tanks are now more full because plants have grown in more and/or I've added some plants. Only add API Plant Zone liquid 1x week.

120G Warmwater tank, white playsand.
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55G Livebearer tank, natural color playsand.
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55G Goldfish tank, natural color playsand.
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Not all are pure sand but all have over 50% of the mix is sand of some type.

My Cray tank Potting Soil and Playsand

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Playsand gravel topper... Grown in a lot and now the moss covers all the branches

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Flourite black sand 3 scapes ago..

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Gravel Kitty Litter and sand mix... Before the assassins added a 2" layer of shells on the top.

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The sandy bottoms look really good! I am about to choose a substrate for my 55 gal, but i was going to stick with flourite covered by stones and gravel. Does the sand change the water ph? All these tanks look awesome!
I was going to put some cichlids in it, but being a gardener, I want a good looking planted aquarium too! Any suggestions?
 
I've tried playsand with decent luck (though it was not planted - just fake plants in that one), and most recently used pool filter sand - I will say the pool filter sand is 100% better (IMO of course) than the playsand. I like the look better, and I like the feel of it better - slightly bigger grains, and easier to work with.

My 75 gal planted w/ pool filter sand, quartz rock - low light, no ferts - no fish yet, but hopefully soon. :)

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The sandy bottoms look really good! I am about to choose a substrate for my 55 gal, but i was going to stick with flourite covered by stones and gravel. Does the sand change the water ph? All these tanks look awesome!
I was going to put some cichlids in it, but being a gardener, I want a good looking planted aquarium too! Any suggestions?

I have not found that it changes the PH at all I like to cap most of mine because after a little time it all mixes together and looks like the natural bottom you would find in a stream or lake.
 
Bush, what is that on top of your 55g tank...??

Looks like aluminum foil to me. To keep the aliens out and to keep them from reading the fishes' thoughts? Or maybe just to reflect the lights?

I have one planted with play-sand that I just started up a couple weeks ago. When I get home from this trip, I'll take a picture and post it.
 
I have play sand and I'm worried about the possiblilty of Hydrogen sulfide gas pockets. Do you guys stir the bottom, or have MTS. How do you deal with this issue?

I hope this isn't a hijack; I think it is germane to the topic.

Here's my 40 gallon breeder.

tank great shot.jpg

This is a couple of weeks old. The plants have grown so much I need to do some serious trimming.

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