Another Sand Question!

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Teri

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I'm thinking of replacing my gravel with sand, my tank is 100cm long, 40cm high, and 30 cm deep, any idea how many kilos i'll need? Also, is play sand etc really safe to use in the tank, I'm just wondering if it is, why do they sell special aquaruim sand?

Also, how easy is sand to clean, cos one reason I want rid of the gravel is because I haven't got the hang of cleaning it properly, and it doesn't look too good.

Also (sorry!!) do plants settle ok in it?
 
Yes play sand is alright for fish tanks and I would reccomend it. The only slight problem I've see with my sand is that the plants need to be planted a little more carefully just to get all the exposed roots underground. Other than that I love it. IMO it's much better than gravel and is much easier to clean as well. It isnt difficult at all to get the hang of cleaning it and at the very worst you suck up a small amount of it. The play sand is cheap and you would buy a 50LB or I guess that would be be around 22KG or so and That would be more than enough for quite a few tanks for you. It isnt hard to clean at all!

Just remember to clean the sand out first in a bucket, or pillowcase is actually what I did and found it to be easier. You would just stick the amount of sand you want into a pillow case and run the hose through it, shaking up the case a little every now and then to ensure its all clean.
 
I'm thinking of replacing my gravel with sand, my tank is 100cm long, 40cm high, and 30 cm deep, any idea how many kilos i'll need? Also, is play sand etc really safe to use in the tank, I'm just wondering if it is, why do they sell special aquaruim sand?

Also, how easy is sand to clean, cos one reason I want rid of the gravel is because I haven't got the hang of cleaning it properly, and it doesn't look too good.

Also (sorry!!) do plants settle ok in it?

I used silver sand from Homebase at around £5 for a bag. It was more than enough for my tank (prob too much) which is the same size as yours more or less.

I haven't planted anything in it yet but will in a week or so.

It was actually really easy to clean (easier than gravel IMHO) and all I did was rinse about 3 to 5 handfuls in a bucket under a running hose. It didn't take long.
 
well i bought river sand it works a treat, plants grow like wildfire, also i only found out about play sand and silver sand too late, never mind...
 
I have playsand in with my discus fish, it's great but only cover anbout half inch of the bottom of the tank. Playsand is only silver sand after all, silica sand is also good.
 
check out the pinned topic...i think it's called sand resource center. Very usefull resource. There is also a converter's and calculator's pin that will help you figure out how much sand you'll need. It's so cheap though I just buy one bag more than I think I'll need. It's a good idea to keep a bag on hand anyway. You will probably lose some sand over time as you do water changes.
 
check out the pinned topic...i think it's called sand resource center. Very usefull resource. There is also a converter's and calculator's pin that will help you figure out how much sand you'll need. It's so cheap though I just buy one bag more than I think I'll need. It's a good idea to keep a bag on hand anyway. You will probably lose some sand over time as you do water changes.


Thats a good point, you will lose a little sand as you go with water changes and everything. Plus you never know when you might want to start up another tank and having the extra will save you the trip. It will save you money in the long run
 
Wow, thanks for posting this! I was just about to ask the same questions. haha. But, I'd like to ask another question related to the same thing. I'm planning on getting sand and I'm also planning on getting live plants. So, I was wondering if just the sand is ok for the plants, or should I mix it with like... that plant substrate stuff? Also... anyone know if they sell black sandpit sand, or would I just have to go with the aquarium sand if I want it black? Thanks!
 
Yes, i'm using sand with my plants and it seems to work fine. The plant substrate is going to give the plants a lot more nutrients that you wouldnt get with the sand, but the price is quite a bit cheaper. I havent had any issues with sand and wouldnt hesitate to do it again.
 
again check the pinned topic about the black sand. It talks about a couple black sands... if memory serves the only one that it talks about that i would use is tahitian moon sand.
 

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