dang, 50lbs will be a bit to carry home. how many PPG do think i'll need to achieve a depth of at least 2-3 inches in a 10G tank (standard 10x20 frame)
sand vs gravel
- Thread starter Bill1171
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Well in our 55g planted tank, hubby put down flourite first, then sand on top. Now almost 2 years later, it's still MOSTLY sand on the top with only some flourite having come up (mostly due to DH getting a bit aggressive with the gravel vac). So I would have to say based on our experience, it will stay mostly as you lay it out (sand on top or bottom, where ever you put it), if you don't do like my hubby and try to suck up the bottom glass with the gravel vac 
Oh, the kind of sand we use is blasting sand you can get at any lumber yard. We like it because it's graded, all the same size, it's clean when you get it, and it's whiter than play sand. Just personal preference on the size and color I suppose.
Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll be proud of it and love it!
Oh, the kind of sand we use is blasting sand you can get at any lumber yard. We like it because it's graded, all the same size, it's clean when you get it, and it's whiter than play sand. Just personal preference on the size and color I suppose.
Whatever you decide, I'm sure you'll be proud of it and love it!
twig, I suppose you'd be right if the fish were mostly light fish like silver and stuff... Fortunately, I have dark colored fish and they show up really great (of course I have gotten the really nice flourescent light that are stronger since I have live plants). Whatever... it works for us. Might not for everyone, that's why there are so many choices for everything
In my previous aquatic life with hubby, we had sand in our tank, with some larger rocks. It looks great for some time, just like a riverbed, but it really was hard to clean. Eventually you could see the sand was dirty with stuff in it. We also got some of it in our filter usually every time after a cleaning. I have to say, I think I blame sand for the reason we ended up getting rid of the tank in the end (that, and we were moving across the country.) It made the tank tough to clean and maintain, and to clean it really good, we ended up vaccuuming up a lot of it.
It's probably not coincidence that my new tank has no sand in it at all.
OOPS: This doesn't pertain to salt water, sorry for the mix up.
It's probably not coincidence that my new tank has no sand in it at all.
OOPS: This doesn't pertain to salt water, sorry for the mix up.
I had read somewhere (can't remember, but not here..Ha! Wish I read this first 
) that sand would be easier to clean also.
Just this morning I dumped in the play sand I got last night, and it was such a mess! Of course I was just plain stupid, and didn't think you had to clean it first! I went and purchased some pool filter sand and am now in the process of cleaning it before I put it in the tank.
What a dutz I am!! But learning! I'm looking foward to that "beachy" feel I want for my tank.
) that sand would be easier to clean also. Just this morning I dumped in the play sand I got last night, and it was such a mess! Of course I was just plain stupid, and didn't think you had to clean it first! I went and purchased some pool filter sand and am now in the process of cleaning it before I put it in the tank.
What a dutz I am!! But learning! I'm looking foward to that "beachy" feel I want for my tank.
To get rid of the cloady water, do a major water change. I love the look of sand, very river-bed like.
im doing sand in my tank. how many pound will i need to fill up a 125g? its 72x18 on the bottem. about 2 inches high right?
100 lbs would be plenty
I think you'll like the pool filter sand. Usually you dont even need to rinse it, but it certainly wont hurt
As far as cleaning sand goes, pool filter sand is usually coarse enough that it doesnt get sucked up into the gravel vac too bad.
I think you'll like the pool filter sand. Usually you dont even need to rinse it, but it certainly wont hurt
As far as cleaning sand goes, pool filter sand is usually coarse enough that it doesnt get sucked up into the gravel vac too bad.
