Fine river sand as aquarium substrate

[luenny]

Hi all,
I am thinking of setting up a tank with fine river sand but I do not know where to get it. Does anybody knows where to buy them? By the way, I heard that the sand is really very fine. Can I know if I can use that in a tank with canister filter or not? Will it get suck into the filter? Any advice?

- Luenny

[David Moses Heng]

Hi all,
I am thinking of setting up a tank with fine river sand but I do not know where to get it. Does anybody knows where to buy them? By the way, I heard that the sand is really very fine. Can I know if I can use that in a tank with canister filter or not? Will it get suck into the filter? Any advice?

- Luenny

mr Chan of NA has got white sand from JBJ in stock. Check him out. Otherwise there is this LFS in CCK loop named Hong Yang. He also has stock.

Cheers.

[Wackytpt]

If stay in near Eco Culture, you can try asking Azmi for a Japanese fine sand.

[bryan]

C328 also has the 'No frills' pack. I am using 1" of fine white sand for a cory tank and I can't siphon debris because the sand is too light.Don't place the inlet too close to the bottom and you'll be ok.Also be very gentle when topping up. Probably my immagination. My bottom dwellers seem to like it, maybe it adds a 'resort' feel.

[Fei Miao]

moving this thread to Equipment and Accessories

[luenny]

Hi all,
Thanks for the reply. I will check out NA and Hong Yang if NA doesn't have. By the way, where is Eco culture? I tried C328, they don't have it.

Hi Fei Miao,
Sorry about posting at the wrong place. Thanks for moving the tread for me.

- Luenny

[valice]

Azmi, the ShopMaster
EcoCulture Aquarium
565 MacPherson Road #01-01 Singapore 368234
Tel / (65) 68732873 Hp / (65) 81212476
Website / www.ecoculturesg.com
Email / [email protected]
Weekday 12-9pm / Sat 12-6pm /Sun 12-3pm / Close on Public Holidays

[luenny]

Hi all,
Thanks for the advice, bought the sand from NA already.

Hi Valice,
Thanks for the address and links to ecoculture.

- Luenny

[David Moses Heng]

Hi all,
Thanks for the advice, bought the sand from NA already.

Hi Valice,
Thanks for the address and links to ecoculture.

- Luenny

you are always welcome!!

[pringles]

I had trouble with my first tank when I used fine sand because debris (fish waste ,etc) tend to stay on top of fine sand, and you wont be able to use a siphon to remove (unless, extremely carefully), cos sand get sucked with the siphon. Water changes becomes a hassle.

Now I use ADA and red sea soils. Still light enough to be sucked up by a siphon, but not as bad as fine sand.

I think all I'm saying is, if you are prepared to put in the hard work, then by all means use fine sand. They do look good.

[creaturesfrombelow]

IMO, nothing looks as good as a sand tank. The key to a successful vaccuum is to hover over the sand about 2" (sorry, don't work in metric) and then slowly move torwards the sand until the waste gets sucked up. You won't want to get any closer than this. You can also turn the gravel vac at a 45 degree angle to the bottom of the tank. This helps keep the sand on the bottom of the tank where it belongs! I've seen a couple DIY gravel vacs specifically for fine sand. If the above ideas don't work out for you, I'll look around for them.

Randy
CFB

[luenny]

Agreed, I think sand tank looks very nice as well.

Put the sand into my tank with the wood etc. Didn't wash it as it was too fine. Probably lose half of it if I wash it. Now the tank looks like it contains muddy water. The whole thing is brownish and there's bubbles on the surface. The surface skimmer seems to take care of the bubbles but the water is still very murky. Probably need a few more days to settle down. Should I switch off the filter in the mean time?

- Luenny

[creaturesfrombelow]

IMO, it is always best to rinse the sand for a long time to remove any dirt or debris and to get some of the really fine, loose particles out. With the real fine sand, it's really hard to rinse so murky water is an unfortunate side effect. Also, when adding sand to a tank, it is best to get a cup (or small bucket) full of sand, submerge it slowly under the water (open side up), get the cup as far down into the tank as you can and then slowly tilt the cup until the sand is coming out. The slower you pour, the less cloudy your water will be. It takes a lot of time but the tank will be a lot less cloudy and will settle sooner.

If there are no fish in the tank, I would remove the cannister. If the tank is cycled, make sure you keep your media wet the whole time or you will lose your bacteria. The filter can be hooked back up in a day or two when the sand settles. I hope this helps!

Randy
CFB

[luenny]

IMO, it is always best to rinse the sand for a long time to remove any dirt or debris and to get some of the really fine, loose particles out. With the real fine sand, it's really hard to rinse so murky water is an unfortunate side effect. Also, when adding sand to a tank, it is best to get a cup (or small bucket) full of sand, submerge it slowly under the water (open side up), get the cup as far down into the tank as you can and then slowly tilt the cup until the sand is coming out. The slower you pour, the less cloudy your water will be. It takes a lot of time but the tank will be a lot less cloudy and will settle sooner.

If there are no fish in the tank, I would remove the cannister. If the tank is cycled, make sure you keep your media wet the whole time or you will lose your bacteria. The filter can be hooked back up in a day or two when the sand settles. I hope this helps!

Randy
CFB

Hi Randy,
Too bad, I already put the sand in. Well, I'll just have to wait for them to settle down then. Ok, I'll switch off the canister for a few days and see what happens. I suspect the ADA soil under the sand may contribute to part of the murkyness as well.

Thanks again.

- Luenny

[creaturesfrombelow]

Luenny -

No problem. I did the same exact thing you did with my first sand tank and ended up with the same results. But, like life, fish keeping is a constant learning process. We learn from each other's mistakes (and our own). I posted the info on how to add sand more for someone else who may be new to it so they don't make the same mistake, hopefully.

I have never kept a planted tank, so I am unfamiliar with the ADA soil and it's effects on the tanks. That is a good point but something I can't comment on with any certainty. I hope it settles fast for you. Good luck!

Randy
CFB

[luenny]

Hi all,
Just want to ask. With fine sand, will you have problems with bottom dwellers like ram, apisto, corys or even discus? Will they stir up the sand too much and cause the water to be murky again?

My tank just went a bit clearer and I try putting in some pebbles to decorate it and it went murky again. I was thinking if this kind of thing would happen when the fishes are in or not.

- Luenny

[koolman]

Hi luenny

To my understanding, bottom dweller will stir up your sand.
You have to set your inlet above the sand.
In order to have a clear water, you have to invest in a good filter.
I opt for a cannister or stackable filter.


Thanks and regards,

Koolman

[luenny]

Yeah, got canister filter running but using surface skimmer as I'm afraid of too much sand running into the filter. Should I adjust otherwise?

- Luenny

[valice]

How fine is your sand?
I have not had sand in my canister although I have plecos and corys fighting and tossing the sand all about... The only "debris" I having is the broken down ADA soil due to all the swiping and thrashing by the plecos.

[koolman]

Hi

If you want to monitor your filter if there is any sand or debrils, I would recommended that you use a stackable OHF filter.
By using stackale filter, you wil be able to visualise any sand or debrils on your tray and it will be much easy to wash your filter.


Thanks and regards


Koolman