Sand

[laura_smithuk]

can i use play sand at the bottom of tank?

seems to be the cheapest option.......................................although someone told me it goes green quite quickly and when it does it will look bad

 

[RadaR]

Play sand can be used. Argos play sand is 100% safe.

As for the green...that's more down to the other persons maintenance and that they're not cleaning enough or they don't have thier water chemistry up to scratch. It has very little to do with it being playsand.

 

[laura_smithuk]

thanks, also regarding ammonia, nitrate and nitrite what should they all be?

 

[RadaR]

On a test kit available to fishkeepers the tests should show ammonia 0, nitrite 0, nitrate anything up to 50ppm in a community, can be higher with no problems in a large predator tank such as Rays.
Those are the readings that you want when you have animals living in the tank.
Have you seen the cycling thread? This will tell you how to get started.