Adrianjt93
- #1
Hello everyone! My name is Adrian and this is my first post. I would like to share my experience setting up a tank design that I could not find much info on initially before I did it myself. I hope this post will help those interested in setting up a tank with both white and black sand.
So the backstory on this tank is that I am a clown loach fan and wanted to build a tank for them that had sand. I enjoy the look of bright white sand but it isn't that great for providing for healthy plants so I decided to split a tank with white pool filter sand and Caribsea eco-complete topped with simple black sand.
The first hurdle I had to clear was finding a good retaining wall that would separate the two sands effectively. I settled on the "Aqua Della Stone Barrier Decoration Ornament, 38 x 10 x 7cm". Hopefully this link works.
Either way you can google aquarium retaining wall and it will give you a few options but the reason I share the one I got is that some didn't appear tall enough for the depth of the sand I was going for but this one is perfect height and length.
Here it is in the tank.
I used some aquarium sealant to seal up the edges and hold it in place (this picture was before that was done but you'll be able to see it along the edge in the next picture).
Then comes the fun part; adding the sand.
I got the pool filter sand for roughly $10 for a 50lb bag. I also used one bag of eco-complete and I believe 3 5lb bags of simply black sand to cover it. I only treated the pool filter sand as the other two substrates do not require treatment before use. I then inserted a large bowl and poured the treated water into the bowl as to not stir up too much sand.
It was at this point that I noticed the side with the white sand was awfully cloudy and I was afraid it would flow over and cover the black side. Fortunately the cloudiness was not of any particles that would show once settled. Pool filter sand is pretty well sized granules so no discoloration occurred on either side of the tank. Occasionally the black sand would float up but I just caught it with a fish net and removed it.
Once filled I attached the filters and heater.
Now is when the REAL fun began; buying driftwood and plants to decorate the tank. I chose some Malaysian driftwood from my LFS. I also got some anaubias nana, amazon swords, java fern and a cryptocern. I also added some ghost shrimp and mystery snails (I was ignorant of the fact that mystery snails eat plants, I found that out real quick).
After the cycle was complete I added the real cargo of Raindbows, Danios and my Clowns. I know a 55 is not sufficient for clowns when they get larger and I'll be investing in a 125gal+ once I get my own house within the year, but for now they really love this tank. The large piece of driftwood on the right has a natural cave underneath it for the loaches and the center piece of wood is actually two pieces laying against eachother making another cave.
So. After a few months of failing and correcting issues I have some new plants, new lights, new ferts and am looking into CO2. I had a pretty bad hair algae outbreak as you will see in the next picture. After adjusting phosphates and nitrates/ lighting and ferts I have it mostly under control until I add the CO2.
A big question I had going into this was if the black sand would roll over and ruin the look of the white sand. The answer is yes and no. The loaches love to dig and will occasionally push some black into the white sand but not to the point that it makes the tank look bad. I simply siphon it out during water changes.
I would love to hear some feedback. Tell me what you think about the design. I am pretty happy with the outcome but would be happier if I could control the algae. If anyone has any questions that I didn't answer I'd be happy to clarify my experience!
So the backstory on this tank is that I am a clown loach fan and wanted to build a tank for them that had sand. I enjoy the look of bright white sand but it isn't that great for providing for healthy plants so I decided to split a tank with white pool filter sand and Caribsea eco-complete topped with simple black sand.
The first hurdle I had to clear was finding a good retaining wall that would separate the two sands effectively. I settled on the "Aqua Della Stone Barrier Decoration Ornament, 38 x 10 x 7cm". Hopefully this link works.
Either way you can google aquarium retaining wall and it will give you a few options but the reason I share the one I got is that some didn't appear tall enough for the depth of the sand I was going for but this one is perfect height and length.
Here it is in the tank.
I used some aquarium sealant to seal up the edges and hold it in place (this picture was before that was done but you'll be able to see it along the edge in the next picture).
Then comes the fun part; adding the sand.
I got the pool filter sand for roughly $10 for a 50lb bag. I also used one bag of eco-complete and I believe 3 5lb bags of simply black sand to cover it. I only treated the pool filter sand as the other two substrates do not require treatment before use. I then inserted a large bowl and poured the treated water into the bowl as to not stir up too much sand.
It was at this point that I noticed the side with the white sand was awfully cloudy and I was afraid it would flow over and cover the black side. Fortunately the cloudiness was not of any particles that would show once settled. Pool filter sand is pretty well sized granules so no discoloration occurred on either side of the tank. Occasionally the black sand would float up but I just caught it with a fish net and removed it.
Once filled I attached the filters and heater.
Now is when the REAL fun began; buying driftwood and plants to decorate the tank. I chose some Malaysian driftwood from my LFS. I also got some anaubias nana, amazon swords, java fern and a cryptocern. I also added some ghost shrimp and mystery snails (I was ignorant of the fact that mystery snails eat plants, I found that out real quick).
After the cycle was complete I added the real cargo of Raindbows, Danios and my Clowns. I know a 55 is not sufficient for clowns when they get larger and I'll be investing in a 125gal+ once I get my own house within the year, but for now they really love this tank. The large piece of driftwood on the right has a natural cave underneath it for the loaches and the center piece of wood is actually two pieces laying against eachother making another cave.
So. After a few months of failing and correcting issues I have some new plants, new lights, new ferts and am looking into CO2. I had a pretty bad hair algae outbreak as you will see in the next picture. After adjusting phosphates and nitrates/ lighting and ferts I have it mostly under control until I add the CO2.
A big question I had going into this was if the black sand would roll over and ruin the look of the white sand. The answer is yes and no. The loaches love to dig and will occasionally push some black into the white sand but not to the point that it makes the tank look bad. I simply siphon it out during water changes.
I would love to hear some feedback. Tell me what you think about the design. I am pretty happy with the outcome but would be happier if I could control the algae. If anyone has any questions that I didn't answer I'd be happy to clarify my experience!
