New 4Ft Setup.

[Whitey_144]

Hi, i've got a 30G 3ft tank with Angelfish, cardinal tetras and Apistos.

I'm going to start up my 4ft tank this weekend to give some of them more space, but was wondering if anyone could help along the way.

Firstly my existing tank has Dark flourite gravel, plants and redwood. In the 4ft i want sand so that i can get a pleco (and maybe corys) and I already have a large Mopani piece of wood.

1.) I read on here a lot of people have Argos playsand, is this the one?

http/www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3650574.htm

2.) Are there any other types of sand that's soft enough for cory's/plecos...i tend to prefer darker substrate, but it depends on the price, i certainly cant afford flourite sand in a 4ft tank!

3.) how much sand would i need for a Rio240? 4ft by 16inches?

Thanks!
Whitey

 

[KkAaNnEe]

Thats the stuff, probably get 3 bags for a decent covering + extra, darker substrates are expensive, i dont know any cheap ones

 

[Verminator89]

Hey, righto, i'll try to answer this nice and structured...as you have asked it nicely structured.

1) Pretty much the one yes.
2) Any sand that doesnt have lime in it can be used pretty much. This includes lots of sands, so go out and find the one cheap enough that suits your needs.
3) One bag of 25kg should do you just fine. I have a 25kg bag of Unipac medium sand in my 280L 48"x16"x22" and it gives me a nice even base across the bottom. I've been able to contour it perfectly for my liking by adding rocks and wood, pushed into the sand and thus holding it back. It suits my digging Jacks just fine!

Hope this helps!

James

 

[KittyKat]

2. Plecos don't require sand, although you are right that Corys do. For black sand, apparently CaribSea's Tahitian Moon from the Instant Aquarium range is really good, but expensive.

3. How deep do you want it to be? You want just under 5 litres per 1 cm of depth.

 

[lil_phelpsy]

does it not make the water very merky when the fish dig as i could only imagine what my jag and plec would do sand as they tend to be the ones the decide where my decor goes i dont have a say

 

[minnnt]

I use Unipac Limpopo aquarium sand in my main tank and it is excellent. Definately worth the extra money over the play sand. As said, 25kg should do just about. They also sell smaller 2.5 kilo bags which is ideal for topping up. I used argos play sand before, it's ok as a cheap substrate goes, but i prefer the Unipac hands down.

 

[Verminator89]

does it not make the water very merky when the fish dig as i could only imagine what my jag and plec would do sand as they tend to be the ones the decide where my decor goes i dont have a say

Sand doesnt make the tank murky when they dig. The sand is heavy enough to sink, and when any fish digs it won't get very far up the tank, no more than an inch or so. Only does it go higher when a fish, such as my male Jack pick up a mouthfull and swim up and spit it out, which the sand then just sinks immediately back down.

Nor do i find sand as hard to "keep clean" as others say they have difficulty. Yes my common plec likes to poop a substantial amount EVERY morning, but even if i didnt do a water change for 2 weeks its easy enough to syphon off without it 'mixing' with the sand content.

 

[Whitey_144]

cheers guys.

I tried to structure it, lol, but i tend to get carried away!

should it not have lime, because that would raise the PH? I'm trying to keep neutral water with an RO unit, so i want to avoid that then.

I think i may just get the playsand from Argos, i find it tricky googling for many types, i just tried, but they dont look much different PLUS i spent a lot on my 3ft tank so trying to do this one cheaper.

How about the plants, i have a lot of vallis and java fern that i can move from my 3ft, and ill buy some others, but do you put in root tabs in the sand for the larger plants? as well as dosing the water column (i have TPN+ and easycarb).

B. what size (wattage) heater would i need to buy? I will definatiely get the Rena `smartheater, because i like the one in my 3ft.

C. Currently i have 5 silver angelfish, a trio of cockatoo apistos and 20 cardinals tetras. I'm planning to move 3 Angelfish and the Cardinals into the 4ft and get a 4/5inch pleco, so that the pair of angelfish breed (apistos already are!) or apistos have a better chance of looking after the fry. would I be able to get any other fish in the 4ft?

 

[minnnt]

I would go for a 300w heater or 2 150w heaters.

My Bristelnoses can make the water murky with the play sand, hence why i don't like it anymore. But you get what you pay for. When my L001 Plec decides he is going to waft his tail to make a pit the Unipac sand just drops back down straight away with no cloudiness at all.

Are your Cardinals fully grown? they may eventually end up as fish food for your Angels. Make sure you keep an eye on them.

The plants you mention will be brilliant for this kind of setup.

 

[lil_phelpsy]

does it not make the water very merky when the fish dig as i could only imagine what my jag and plec would do sand as they tend to be the ones the decide where my decor goes i dont have a say

Sand doesnt make the tank murky when they dig. The sand is heavy enough to sink, and when any fish digs it won't get very far up the tank, no more than an inch or so. Only does it go higher when a fish, such as my male Jack pick up a mouthfull and swim up and spit it out, which the sand then just sinks immediately back down.

Nor do i find sand as hard to "keep clean" as others say they have difficulty. Yes my common plec likes to poop a substantial amount EVERY morning, but even if i didnt do a water change for 2 weeks its easy enough to syphon off without it 'mixing' with the sand content.

dont no if ive clicked the right button thanks ive always considerd it but never gone for it after seeing the way my plec dig's (basically tries swimming through the bottom of the tank) and at 15 inchs he kicks up a fuss lol and my jaguar like you said carrys my quarts to differnt corners (because thats how he likes it) and spits it out a nightmare for arranging a tank but excellent to watch will definatly consider the change would it affect my water perameters if i was to change to sand ?

just glanced at the tank to see my jag spittin out a mouth full of gravel what a co-incidence lol wouldnt change him though

 

[Whitey_144]

thanks for the replies guys!

I checked out the Unipac Limpopo aquarium sand. Minnt is it as soft as play sand? from what i was reading on the net, people weren't 100% sure if the tahitian moon sand would be fine or corys/soft belly fish, play sand i know how soft it is, because ive had it before, but for unipac i can't really tell from the photo.


http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/unipac-limpopo-black-aquarium-sand-125kg-p-2828.html


My cardinals are quite large now, they definately haven't attempted to go for them yet, but i am watching! at least with 2 identical tanks i can quickly move them around quickly. I suspect because they grew up together they dont really care about them...it seems that way anyway.


I htink i'll get 2 smaller heaters, just because if im away my parents will have to look after and i think its safer this way in case one breaks, so 2 150W it is!


how about fish, can i get anymore in? I love the zebr pleco, but obviously cant afford it, any other plecos which people recomend? i dont mind paying up to about £30/40 for a pleco.

2. Plecos don't require sand, although you are right that Corys do. For black sand, apparently CaribSea's Tahitian Moon from the Instant Aquarium range is really good, but expensive.

3. How deep do you want it to be? You want just under 5 litres per 1 cm of depth.

probably just 2inches, but sloped from low to higher at the back.

ps, its all low tech lighting

 

[minnnt]

I found the play sand quite abbrasive to the touch, but having said that i have 3 bronze cory's on it and they love it. The Unipac sand seems to be slightly bigger particles and feels quite 'soft' and smooth to the touch. It is available in some very nice natural colours too, but if you're doing it on a budget then the Unipac will probably cost yout £25-£30 and the play sand would be about £6...

 

[Whitey_144]

I found the play sand quite abbrasive to the touch, but having said that i have 3 bronze cory's on it and they love it. The Unipac sand seems to be slightly bigger particles and feels quite 'soft' and smooth to the touch. It is available in some very nice natural colours too, but if you're doing it on a budget then the Unipac will probably cost yout £25-£30 and the play sand would be about £6...

£30 is fine, i mean its a bigger tank as well and i prefer to get it right the first time. How black does it look? i think anything that is dark brown would be fine, but the photo looks like its mixed black and grey particles, not sure how that would look overall?

 

[minnnt]

Here are some pictures of mine under similar lighting to what yours will be:

And here is the play sand from Argos:

I find the Limpopo colouration hardly shows any detritis from the fish where as with the play sand it stands out like a sore thumb.

 

[KkAaNnEe]

I find the Limpopo colouration hardly shows any detritis from the fish where as with the play sand it stands out like a sore thumb.

PPPOOOWWWEEERRRHHHEEEAADDD is a must!