Bird Cage Sand?

[se1an]

Bird sand will not be good for fish. It may contain chemicals like cat litter so when the bird poops or pees in it there may be stuff that takes that stuff out and if it was placed in an aquarium it may clogg up the fishes gills and may kill them. So i would use sand from a clean lake or better if its a flowing river and you can also buy estes freshwater sand that can grow plants very good. So i wouldn't use that bird sand.

 

[Sarah5098]

Bird sand will not be good for fish. It may contain chemicals like cat litter so when the bird poops or pees in it there may be stuff that takes that stuff out and if it was placed in an aquarium it may clogg up the fishes gills and may kill them. So i would use sand from a clean lake or better if its a flowing river and you can also buy estes freshwater sand that can grow plants very good. So i wouldn't use that bird sand.

I wish there was a flowing river near me I think im just going to use play pit sand after this thread, depending on how much the estes sand will cost me I wish i could afford better things for my prospective fishies, but so far ive concentrated my money on filter, heater and tank
Thanks for the advice
Sarah

 

[Bobtastic]

If you're wanting to up the pH "naturally" you can use crushed coral either balled up in tights in the tank or flattened out in your filter (depending on your filter). As it dispolves it will add carbonate to the water and increase its KH and GH and therefore the pH. If you're in a fishless cycle you can just add bicarb to increase the pH (tho you wouldnt use it with fishies in).

 

[Sarah5098]

If you're wanting to up the pH "naturally" you can use crushed coral either balled up in tights in the tank or flattened out in your filter (depending on your filter). As it dispolves it will add carbonate to the water and increase its KH and GH and therefore the pH. If you're in a fishless cycle you can just add bicarb to increase the pH (tho you wouldnt use it with fishies in).

Thanks for the tip - its a fluval 3+ so will have to be flattened out, for such a big box, there seems very little room.
And i did start a fishless cycle, got about a week in and decided i wanted to redo my tank, so thats what im doing now
Ill use bicarb and try to get hold of some coral
Thanks for all the help

 

[Craster]

Can I ask why you want to raise the pH? What level is it at now?

 

[Sarah5098]

Can I ask why you want to raise the pH? What level is it at now?

Yeh the pH of my tap water is 5.9, thought it might change with cycling but no such luck. Want to get it somewhere more reasonable.