can i use sand?

I tried using that method. It works great for tanks that don't have any fish that dig. My killie tank has a layer of flourite, a layer of sand, and some 'drifts' of peat. The plants are doing fine, and the flourite stays put, mostly because I never stir up the substrate.

My work tank, on the other hand, is a mix. The kuhli loaches charge around the tank and dig everything up, so the flourite has come to the top in most places. It doesn't look bad, and I don't dislike the look. There's only one plant in the substrate, and it's tripled since I setup the tank (about 3 months ago--maybe 4).
 
Hey, OG

Did you use regular Flourite or Flourite Red to mix with your sand? I figure it would just look like clay rocks mixed with sand....pretty natural sounding lake/stream feature to me!
 
Hey Sump,
I just set up a small tank with the darker Flourite and I like it. I was a little concerned that the red would look too brickish and unnnatural. The darker is a rusty brown and seems fairly natural looking.

For my 30g I used mostly a large grain sand/fine gravel (sold by Estes, I think). I topped it with a bag or two of natural gravel/small pebbles. The sand is better for holding stem plants IM limited E, the pebbles just sit on top.
 
I have 2"- 3" of medium sand in my 20 gal which is currently cycling. How much Flourite should I add to the sand to get a good mix and not look bad? I don't mind it being visible, but I want it to look like a natural river/lake bed. I've often seen sand with small clay-looking pebbles scattered throughout it in a natural environment. Hopefully I can mimic this effect.

So how much Flourite should I add, and do I need to remove any sand? Thanks for responses.
 
I used latrite in my tank. layer of sand then latrite, another of sand then the gravel. Plants grow good and the little digging I get dosn't seem to effect it. (I think kulli's are little small to dig up any plants) And thanks for the kind coments on my tank!.
This is my first foray into planted tanks. It looks a little diffrent now. I've discovered as I go along I change my mind and want to
reange a bit. I think I'm close to my final set up!:D
 
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