untitled1209

hello
ive been having the idea of switching my freshwater tank to sand instead of the gravel i hear it helps with the filtering of the tank. but everyone i talk to it about says it would kill the filters on the back of my tank.

if i keep the filter heads near the top of the tank and shut the filters off when i ster the sand up. should it stop the filters from being destroyed?

i plan on changing the setup i have in my tank from gravel and big rocks and caves to sand driftwood and lots of live plants.

Nate McFin

If you plan on plants with roots that go into the substrate. (Not anubias or Java fern as I mentioned in your other thread.
Banana plants, swords,crypts etc. you bury the root in the substrate up to the rhyzome. These plants would benefit from a nutrient rich substrate such as Eco Complete or Flourite. Its smaller than rock and bigger than sand. Maight be an option to look at for you. It is not necessary for the plants as you can use root tab fertilizers but the plants would love it and it looks great. Just a thought.

untitled1209

ok ill keep that in mind but were would i find that sand / rock i forgot what u called it =p

Nate McFin

http://www.drsfostersmith.com/produc...fm?pcatid=9087

BE prepared it is a little more expensive than sand or rock. LOL

untitled1209

wow lol ill keep that stuff in mind tho thank u. but just woundering would sandbox sand work? wild thought =p

JennDFK

I've heard that pool filter sand is your best option for cheap substrate if you are looking at sand.

Sometimes sandbox sand is treated with stuff you wouldn't want in your tank (to keep it mold free in the sandbox).

Jenn

untitled1209

ahh yeah dont want those in my tank then lol. i know im asking alot of qwetions lol but dose the sand u use in salt water tanks already have some salt in it if not then i should be able to use that right?

aquarist48

I've also heard that pool filter sand is good. Not play sand or sand box sand!

untitled1209

ok ill do a test in a bucket with some see how it sttles and how easy u can ster it up thx everyone

jack--sos

I have Playsand (or sandbox sand) in my tank and it has been completely fine, all of the plants have stayed rooted and there has been no damage to the filter.

Jark

I just switched my 10g to pool filter sand from a pool store. So far it is working fine. I like it much better than the fake black gravel. I am testing allot to ensure the cycle is stable after removing the gravel. It was 12 dollars for 50 lbs. I might put it in my 55g after a week or so of monitoring the 10g. My cory cats love it. I don't have plants in the 10g and only have Java ferns in the 55g