Africans with sand substrate

[AMiR UNC]

africans w/ sand substrate

I am planning a 20gallon long for some small african shell dwellers. I want to have sand substrate and I have a few questions for the experts.

For the sand...what kind can I use and wheres the best place to buy the small amount I need. Do home depot/hardware stores have smalller bags of sand...what is the hardware store sand called that is safe for aquariums?

This is my first african tank but I know I will need crushed coral for raising the hardness and pH. Can I just put a bag of crushed coral in my filter...and add baking soda and epsom salts?

I have a penguin-mini from another tank that I want to use to cycle the new tank. Will the penguin-mini and a sponge filter be good for the new 20gallon with shelldwellers? Or should I get a bigger filter?

Thanks

Amir

 

[tyler]

sandblasting sand and pool filter sand both look good

 

[tyler]

oh yeah, and depending on your location, you might be able to get south down play sand which has buffering capabilities (correct me if i'm wrong)

 

[BigOh]

If you want some nice digging fish, go with Neolamprologus multifasciatus.

They would do well with a Pool Filter Sand. Pool Filter Sand is a larger grain size, so it has less dust and is easier to clean.

Yes, Southdown is available in some Home Depot's and is great for buffering water.

You do not need crushed coral for buffering water. I find baking soda to be very effective in raising KH and pH. Just do some experiments on a 5g bucket of tap water to see how and what it does to your water.

Also, test your tap water to see what the pH and KH are out of the tap. You may be lucky enough not to need anything.

Try shooting for a ph of 8.2+ and a KH of like 10.

I'd also try a bigger filter. Something like the Emperor 280 would be nice. Definitely somehting bigger than the penguin mini. Sponges are good ... but they do take up some space. I think a larger power filter would do you justice.

 

[AMiR UNC]

Thanks for the info...I plan on getting a pair of multis and a pair of boulengerie. So if I get that southdown sand there's no need to add baking soda for buffering?

 

[BigOh]

Originally posted by AMiR UNC
Thanks for the info...I plan on getting a pair of multis and a pair of boulengerie. So if I get that southdown sand there's no need to add baking soda for buffering?

Probably wouldn't need baking soda if you have southdown sand as a substrate.

However, the best way to tell is test your tank water and tap water for KH and pH. Thats the only sure fire way to tell what you need to do to your water.

Multies do better in groups rather than pairs.

 

[firetank]

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=500&highlight=substrate

try this, i need the same info a couple of weeks ago...

hth

 

[AMiR UNC]

so here are my options all in 50lb bags

pool filter sand for $6
playsand fine grade for $4
general allpurpose medium grade sand for $3
sand blasting sand for $4

which should I get so I will have the least trouble cleaning it...thanks for the help.

 

[BigOh]

I've tried both Pool Filter Sand and Play Sand.

Out of those two I would say Pool Filter Sand hands down.

 

[tuthelimit]

I just go through changing all my tanks with playsand to pool filter sand.

I found the playsand too powdery and hard to clean. I never had a problem with filters clogging up, but cleaning the playsand was a pain. It is so light that even if you angle a powerhead above the surface to collect debris, it will still kick sand up.

Southdown play sand is also very very white which can wash a fish's color out.

The pool filter sand I bought is a darker color and really thick. There are a few different kinds they sell at pool supply stores. I just got the heaviest. I think it was $15 for 100lbs. A tad expensive IMO, but I wasn't going to drive to another store for a few bucks.

ttl