Sand Over Flourite?

[Ficious]

is it ok to put sand on top of flourite? im going to do this to my dp tank. i will use a turkey baster to remove waste.

its my first time using this stuff and have no clue about it. the tank is 5 gallons. how much flourite do i use and how much sand do i use? the plants are amazong sword crypto and spiral valls. thanks

 

[rdd1952]

Putting sand over flourite (or any coarse grained substrate) is a waste of sand. The finer grained sand will filter it's way down into the substrate below bringing the coarse substrate to the top. It really doesn't take that long. Any vibration causes this to happen. The larger vibrations come simply from you walking by the tank but there are more subtle vibrations that are present all the time such as the HVAC unit running, the refrigerator, washer/dryer, etc.

 

[Ficious]

yes i forgot about that

 

[mark.w.jones]

However, sand over something of a similar consistancy like Eco-Complete works brilliantly. I use it in 2 of my tanks and the two layers have never mixed.

 

[rdd1952]

However, sand over something of a similar consistancy like Eco-Complete works brilliantly. I use it in 2 of my tanks and the two layers have never mixed.

I will have to totally disagree with that as I have been there. When I set up my 75 gallon in 2005, I topped my Eco-Complete with Tahitian Moon Sand (couldn't find enough EC for the tank). It was only about 3 to 6 months until all the EC was on top. I think EC may be a little less coarse now than then but if what is underneath is larger than what's on top, it will still filter through.

It's actually rather easy to see how much filters through. Simply put the flourite in a bucket on the bottom and cover with sand. Then start tapping the sides to create vibrations It shouldn't take long until you see the larger grains appear.

 

[raptorrex]

not strictly on topic but.

anyone got ideas on how to have, both gravel and sand as substrate, in the same tank. kinda like patches, or areas of sand in a, predominantly, gravel bottomed tank. or the other way around?

 

[Truck]

use some form of plastic to divide them

 

[raptorrex]

use some form of plastic to divide them

yeh, but you get a, very, defined line between the two. and movement, of the substrate, makes the levels of the two differ, very, quickly. just hoping someone will have a "new" idea. or, perhaps, come up with one that makes an "old" idea work! lol.

 

[Truck]

do you want to stop them from mixing?

 

[rdd1952]

There have been several thread over the years about doing that but I don't know that anyone has ever found a good solution. Using dividers will usually result in the dividers being visible. And if they are under the subtrate and not vsible, then the sand and gravel can mix, evenually making them visible as the sand migrates.

 

[stang1]

I agree with rdd and also know from trying something similar myself.
I had sand with gravel on top and used a fine mesh to seperate the two. Six months down the line, the mesh ended up on show and the gravel and sand ended up mixed together. Not only that, it was a pain in the backside to clean!

 

[Ficious]

well ive got sand and gravel mix in two of my tanks. the 55 has a plastic "sand bag" deviding the two. its simply a fish bag filled with gravel. now sure...the black gravel has mixed with the sand a little bit but its just the effect i wanted. a natural fade. one half is completly gravel and the other fresh white sand. looks briliant.


on my other tank i actualy made a ring with large rocks. its looked amazing at first and within a few months some blended together. the tank looks amazingly natural when the small, medium, and large rocks mixed with the white sand. heres a pic of the 36 i did this with