Hey folks! I am doing some renovations on my 10 gallon which consists of one betta, neon tetras, and cory cats. I read that a sand substrate is great for corys, but how would it affect the other guys? I also have some live plants in there. I also read that play sand could be used, and my dad has some lying around in his garage labeled: Sakrete play sand, "screened and washed". But I don't know many sand brands and it says to be only used for play sand only. So if sand is okay, what kinds of brands should I go for? I assume sand in the pet store is a no go since they are for ocean aquariums.
Yes, sand is okay for each of your fish. My betta personally like laying on mine. I'm pretty sure most play sands are fine. I got mine at Menard's. Just make sure you wash it really well. There are some sands at that pet stores sell for freshwater aquariums, the only problem is that they're $20 a bag. I know Caribsea Tahitian Moon Sand (black) and Caribsea Moonlight (white) are sold at Petsmart. If you don't feel like shelling out the cash, though, play sand works fine. :)
Play sand is fine. Just wash it LOTS. Wash it untill you think it looks clear and wash it 10 more times. Well worth the effort though. Looks better IMO. And sand is ok for everyone I dont see why it wouldnt
Thanks for clearing that up! The petsmart sand is pricey, but looks nice. I think I'll go with some play sand for now, washing it a few hundred times sounds fun! :P
Those of you who have sand, do you find it easier or harder then gravel? I'm curious how you siphon without sucking too much up, and MOSTLY how you don't end up with grains in your filter that grind and ruin it?
I'm also paranoid of one grain getting on the acrylic front and scraping when I wipe algae. ACK
I have used sand before in different tanks and I love it. When I go to siphon the tank, I simply hold the siphon just above the sand and it picks up the debris and whatnot without picking up extra sand.
As long as your filter intake isn't too close to the floor of your aquarium, I don't see there being any problem. I've never had sand get sucked up into a filter before, even when running a large filter on a smaller tank.
Thanks Tigerlily. And one more question (sorry to hi-jack this thread):
It's true that sand needs to be "stirred up" every so often to prevent gasses from building up underneath, correct? Like.....how often? (and I'm guessing I would shut the filter off while doing this? Lol.
Hmm, That I'm not very sure about. My sand tanks usually have fake plants and so I rearrange them pretty often anyway since I don't have to worry about uprooting anything.
But yes, I do turn the filter off when I know I'll be kicking up dust storms.
My current setup is Generic Kitty LItter (Laterite) on the bottom, and playsand up top.
The Kitty Litter I purchased from Stater Brothers Grocery Store, and the playsand I purchased from the Cement bagging area at Home Depot.
It was the least expensive substrate I have ever purchased, and it is the substrate I am more satisfied with after only previously using the colored gravel substrates sold at LFS.
With Hadouken, I recommend washing the sand at least until it is completely clean, and then washing it 10 more times. Rinse it with treated water, or old tank water. I wouldn't recommend clorine getting in there.
I've only had my tank setup in this way for 10 days, so I don't know yet how my plants like it, but my fish and shrimp love it. They have a great time digging through it and grinding through it, and with a fine particulate sand, shrimp can properly go digging through it and making their own burrows and breeding.
Check out the eBook Betta Fish Care Made Easy
