sand for freshwater??

[oscar_lover2005]

hello everyone im new to this forum. i need to know if sand could be use in freshwater if yes what kind of sand?

 

[fufanu360]

definatly... if you do a search you can find lots of stuff about sands

 

[The-Wolf]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=71597

 

[LoachLover]

Definately, my loaches love sand. I have Black tahitian (spelling?) sand it works good to set off some of the fishes colors.

 

[littlefishie]

Check out the pinned topic about sand.

I just put black sand into my tank [It's not the nice, expensive Tahitian Moon Sand, but a cheaper alternative by Hagen. I love it, I think it looks really nice, and my otocinclus seems to enjoy the sand a lot more than the gravel.

A lot of people think white sand looks nice. Go to www.bigalsonline.com and check out the Decor section for substrates. They have something called Carib Sea White Marine Sand. It comes in a 20lb bag, and can be used in freshwater. It also doesn't alter the pH of your water.

 

[LoachLover]

It's not the nice, expensive Tahitian Moon Sand

Thank you for saying that, because It was driving me crazy I couldn't remember the name of the sand I have

 

[littlefishie]

Damn you for having nice sand! lol ..I love the look of black sand, but the Tahitian stuff is $30 for a 20lb bag, and I spent $15 to get enough for my 15 gallon.

 

[LoachLover]

Damn you for having nice sand! lol ..I love the look of black sand, but the Tahitian stuff is $30 for a 20lb bag, and I spent $15 to get enough for my 15 gallon.

Yeah it cost me $30 a bag, and I used it for my 55 gallon, got a little spendy

 

[littlefishie]

Yeah it cost me $30 a bag, and I used it for my 55 gallon, got a little spendy

Roughly $90 for sand! I'd be shot if I spent that much. I can set up my entire tank for a little over a hundred dollars.. I'd never be allowed to have my tank if I spent $90 on my substrate.

I wish I had a tank like yours. <insert jealousy here>

 

[LoachLover]

Yeah for my 55 gallon I spared no expense

I believe for the whole setup I paid $150 for the tank and supplies and $200 for the stand. I think I fainted after I got it all set up

 

[littlefishie]

I managed to get a 15g with an Aquaclear 200, ANDDD a 2ft long divided betta tank with 5 compartments for $20. I like my friend at the LFS. Though the betta tank is going to my friend. Then there was sand at $15..
Actually, for oscar_lover2005, what size is the tank you're setting up? Because this was my rough cost breakdown, including sand. And sand cost me all of $2 more than gravel. [All including tax]

15 gallon Tank + Aquaclear 200 + Betta tanks = $20
Filter Media = $7.91
Sand = $15.99
My current plants and decorations were either birthday presents or from my previous tank. I'll be spending roughly $20 on live plants tomorrow, and then getting my fish on Thursday.
Basically it's going to cost me roughly $120, and I'm making a temporary cover out of plastic craft canvas until my dad builds me a hood to match the stand he's working on.

Sand, depending on the type you get, is totally worth the extra money. It looks nice, it doesn't get fish poo sifting down to the bottom, and it's a lot nicer for bottom feeders.

 

[LoachLover]

Sand, depending on the type you get, is totally worth the extra money. It looks nice, it doesn't get fish poo sifting down to the bottom, and it's a lot nicer for bottom feeders.

Sand is awesome. It's so much easier to keep clean, you have to just vaccume up the waist off the top layers because it doesn't sink to the bottom

 

[Yenko]

I bought play sand for $3/30 lbs. You have to do an acid test with sand like that, and I tested the sand in a tank with 5 guppies for a month prior to putting it in my 32g.

 

[LoachLover]

I bought play sand for $3/30 lbs. You have to do an acid test with sand like that, and I tested the sand in a tank with 5 guppies for a month prior to putting it in my 32g.

I was always worried about getting play sand for fear there would be something in it, so I would get the aquarium sand. But I did have to pay a lot more for it.

 

[littlefishie]

I've never heard about having to test with play sand.. It seems to come highly recommended on this forum, because of how cheap it is and how nice it looks.

To be on the safe side, just get aquarium sand and make sure it doesn't buffer your pH unless you need it to. [Cichlid tanks and saltwater tanks, etc.]