Sand Help Please

[Bri]

ok so i put dirt in the bottom then im put lots of sand in to keep it down about 5 times in some places is that way too much? this is nerve wrecking please advise

 

[pablothebetta]

What is the depth of the substrate in total?

 

[This Old Spouse]

Photos please?

 

[Bri]

ok so 5 1/2 inches at its tallest. its was just so it would hold the dirt substrate in. wow setting up your tank is soo scary.
photos cant go up right now as i am too knackered for the process and the tank is way too merky and condensation filled to make it out.
i could take some out if necessary but i really dont want to, i plan to have loads of sanils, assasins so they will burrow and stuff. please advise. many many thanks for the replies you guys are the best. do i have way too mach in or will bootom dwelers such as corys, snails, ect make up for it. so we shall say 5 1/2 average. anyone think this is a bad idea. i put dirt in but now im pretty sure the plants wont get to it unless they have crazy long roots. grr
oh first timer incase its not apparent

fishkeeping aint for sissies thats for sure bro

 

[This Old Spouse]

The photo would show how the substrate looks from the front of the tank. Wouldn't matter how murky the water is. You can load your photos in Photobucket.com or flickr or another photo hosting site. Then just copy the link and paste it in your post here.

5-1/2 inches does seem pretty deep. Is that just the sand? If it's too deep, you can take some out using a cheap turkey baster. Just squeeze the air out of the bulb and suck up the sand, then either take it out of the tank or move it elsewhere.

Assassins will burrow in just sand. And they don't eat more than one or two pond or ramshorn snails per week each. Just don't overfeed your fish and you should be fine.

 

[Bri]

no its sand and dirt on the bottom for my plants. Its 8 cms sorry i read it wrong ok. so i take out a bit where i can. to be honest im happier now that the dirt stayed at the bottom taking out sand is the easy part. it varies between 6 and 8 cms in depth. we cool with that??? i will upload loads of photos tomorrow tonight i have to finish filling it and tidy up. thanks for the reply ive been hitting the reload button every 5 mins, this is a bit of a tense process for my first time working with both sand and dirt. many said not to mix the two and that it wouldnt work thats why i put in more but i can totally take some out no problem if it needs it

 

[This Old Spouse]

How big is your tank? I think you're going to be fine. You should be able to plant your plants like normal, and they'll find the dirt pretty quickly I'd think.

 

[thereverendturtle]

How big is your tank? I think you're going to be fine. You should be able to plant your plants like normal, and they'll find the dirt pretty quickly I'd think.

+1

 

[SaTiVa1984]

I believe if your sand is more than 2 Inch deep it will have to be stirred/mixed once in a while in case toxic gases build up, which is fatal to fish if left unchecked.

Someone please correct me if i'm wrong.