Sand

[cuticom]

So I told my Dad I wanted sand, as I was aksing him about prices etc, so today he brought home a bag He somehow managed to miss the fact that I wanted it to be like beach sand. So anyway the sand is really large and course, almost like tiny gravel then sand, each piece is about a mm round. It's dark brown with a mixture of pale yellow, through all the shades of brown to black pieces, it was sold as coarse pool filter sand. Anyways the tank I want sand for is a kuhli loach tank, and I wanted natural sand, so they could be comfortable nosing around and burrowing in the sand. This stuff doesn't seem particular sharp, but would it be okay for the kuhlis?

And also, an Aussies out there with sand tanks? if so where did you get your sand from? the only stuff I can get from aquarium shops is coral sand which I don't want in a purely freshwater tank, but I'd like something similar to that, if anyone knows where I could find it...

 

[cuticom]

This is the stuff, thats a pen I'm poking it with...

 

[cuticom]

Been looking at it, and I could make a pretty cool natural looking tank with this, as it look like it's been pulled from a river bottom, add in some drift wood and some nice bright green plants it should look quite nice. Not sure whether it would work with whats going into the tank though, the stock is 10 Black Widow Tetras, 6 Kuhli Loaches and a Zebra Lace Angel. So all are fairly dark fish.

Plus I'm not sure whether or not it'd be fine enough for Kuhlis, though it's heavy enough to gravel vac and the filter won't pick it up, which is always an advantage.

 

[SouthernCross]

Looks more like gravel to me than sand...
I know what you mean - if I ever get another tank I want to make it sand - the nice white stuff. I live about 3 blocks from the beach, its a shame you're not supposed to use it cause of all the other junk in it.

Most ppl on the board seem to use pool filter sand (obv not the coarse stuff apparently) or kids playsand. You seem sold on the stuff you've got now though, but around here I guess the best place to get it would be a landscaping place. Or Bunnings maybe, they keep pool stuff too. Who am I kidding they have freaking everything...

 

[wendywc]

Personally, I think fine gravel (like your pic) is the best. I have playsand in my 55 and I hate its looks compared to the fine variegated gravel in my 30. Never looks as good as the first week its setup and yes I do vac every week.

Anyway, I wouldn't worry about the color of what you have for your dark fish. No matter the color of the fish with a variegated substrated. And as long as it's doesn't feel sharp when you run your hand through it, loaches should be just fine.

 

[cuticom]

Lol Southern Cross this is the Bunnings Pool filter sand, apparently the fine stuff is a smaller size but it still looks like miniature gravel. It is a nice colour though, like what you find in the rivers on the Blue Mountains, come to think of it, thats probably where it came from LOL.

I dunno LOL I would still prefer proper sand, but finding it is the problem, Bunnings only sells some sort of dirt (their version of play sand) and coloured sand (purple, blue etc) around here. I have the fish on black and white sand at the moment, but they disappear completely against it.

 

[Yazan]

Looks more like gravel to me than sand... unsure.gif

I agree, it looks more like gravel.

I "had" a planted 10G tank with sand (but I gave up fish keeping so I put the tank down) and I got my sand from the shops, it has the same color as beach sand; I think it's play sand.

 

[SouthernCross]

Lol Southern Cross this is the Bunnings Pool filter sand, apparently the fine stuff is a smaller size but it still looks like miniature gravel. It is a nice colour though, like what you find in the rivers on the Blue Mountains, come to think of it, thats probably where it came from LOL.

I dunno LOL I would still prefer proper sand, but finding it is the problem, Bunnings only sells some sort of dirt (their version of play sand) and coloured sand (purple, blue etc) around here. I have the fish on black and white sand at the moment, but they disappear completely against it.

LOL, good ol' Bunnings. Maybe a proper pool shop would have the nice stuff? But you couldn't go wrong with a landscaping place I'm sure - they'd probably have every colour under the sun. Would maybe Toys r Us or something keep bags of white sand? People gotta fill their kids sandpits with something... A decent size tank would probably take the same amount as one of those half-shell thingos, hahaha

No chance of being a bit more specific than 'the shops' Yazan?

 

[cuticom]

Hmmm might try Big W actually, they sell sandpits... I'm guessing that any pool filter sand will be the same stuff, as we're so close to the Hunter etc, it'd be easiest to collect the sand from there, rather then have it trucked it. I can't see it being used for kids sandpits though, so guess that'll be the next place to look.

Hey did Crossroads have sand in their tanks? I have a vague memory of the african cichlid tank (with the big Pleco) the eight foot one having sand, might ring em up and bug them LOL.