Substrate advice welcome

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On_a_dishy

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So, having made every mistake in the fishkeeping book, I have ended up with a 145l tank containing only 6 corys, 1 bristlenose pleco and 2 dwarf gouramis. All other fish went back to my wonderful LFS this morning. The gouramis might be joining them as I turn my attention to cichlids (I have hard water).
I have a gravel substrate which has become mixed with the soil-like substrate (which was supposed to be underneath the gravel but which has combined with it thanks to some vigorous gravel cleaning). The soil has produced some really good, dense plants, but my problem is that I'm falling out of love with the whole gravel thing. I can't ever seem to get it very clean, and although the corys do an excellent job, I know they would prefer sand.
I'm planning to get cichlids eventually but am going to do a deep-clean before then and want to move away from gravel. Does anyone have any alternatives to sand? Would plants grow in sand without the additional soil substrate? Would my pleco be ok with sand? Is sand easy to keep clean? All substrate opinions gratefully received!
Nitrite 0
Nitrate 10 mg/l
GH between >7 and >14d
Carbonate hardness between 3 and 6d
pH 7.2
 

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Plants grow good in sand and the plecos soft belly will appreciate the sand also , I find it much harder to clean than gravel but I think it look better and glad I switched to sand
 
A lot of people recommend sand if you're looking to keep catfish. Cory catfish need a smooth, sandy substrate to preserve their barbels and properly feed.
 
Plants grow good in sand and the plecos soft belly will appreciate the sand also , I find it much harder to clean than gravel but I think it look better and glad I switched to sand
How do you clean the sand?
 
Is there a special type of sand I should be looking for?
 
Is there a special type of sand I should be looking for?
Sand that's specifically made for aquariums is very good, but it can run up to be very expensive if you have a larger tank. For instance, a 10kg bag of sand can cost £15-£20.

Some people in the UK use Argos' playsand, which I was recently made aware of in this thread I created a few days ago. Argos is the only playpit sand that is confirmed to be aquarium safe so far, and is a very cheap but good alternative to aquarium sand.

Alternatively, you can also use diamond blasting sand as a substitute. This can come cheap too, but may be a little harder to find in bulk.

In the US, where in-ground pools are more common, some aquarists use pool filter sand as a substitute for aquarium sand. Along with play sand and diamond blasting sand, pool filter sand is a cheap substitute and is generally quite clean as it's used for pools. However, this could be hard to get your hands on in the UK since we don't tend to need big pool filters for our 2ft paddling pools.

So really, it's up to you:
- True aquarium sand is good, but expensive.
- Argos playsand is good, cheap and safe, but it should only be from Argos rather than other places just in case other brands contain toxins that seep into the water, e.c.t.
- Diamond blasting sand is cheap and seems pretty good, I think @Sgooosh uses it.
- Pool filter sand is also good, but hard to obtain in the UK.
 
If you use buckets rather than a hose, you can wash the sand that is accidentally sucked up and put it back in the tank.
 
I've always found argos play sand to be best for corydoras. Its fine and soft and allows them to filter-feed whereby they seive the sand through their gills and feed on any infusoria.

The sand needs a good clean before going into the tank. In terms of cleaning as part of weekly maintenance, it can be vacuumed with a syphon. I don't with mine as its heavily planted and so I can't really get to it. I advise on getting Malaysian Trumpet Snails to keep the sand turned over and aerated.

This is my setup with the argos playsand:

 
Oh wow, your setup is gorgeous! How long did it take to get to that point?
Cheers. Its been through a few changes but the plants that are in there now I bought October last year. Tank has been setup since around April last year. Ive got a journal on here for it...
 
I've always found argos play sand to be best for corydoras. Its fine and soft and allows them to filter-feed whereby they seive the sand through their gills and feed on any infusoria.

The sand needs a good clean before going into the tank. In terms of cleaning as part of weekly maintenance, it can be vacuumed with a syphon. I don't with mine as its heavily planted and so I can't really get to it. I advise on getting Malaysian Trumpet Snails to keep the sand turned over and aerated.

This is my setup with the argos playsand:

I want to be a fish in that tank.
 
Sand it is ... I've just ordered some :) Thanks for all the positivity.
Now about to start another thread about Which Cichlids to Choose...
Kribs!
 

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