Sand??

[Dixon1990]

Hello everyone. I am wanted to use sand in my tank when i set it up again but im not sure whether i can use any sand or if i have to buy some from the petshop.And i was also wondering if bristlenose , tiger barbs, dwarf gouramie, kuhli and chained/dwarf loaches would like the sand. Thanks

[davidb]

yup. the khulis will love it

[SpidersWeb]

'River Sand' is apparently the best stuff, but I just went to Mitre10 and purchased some coarse sand (dont get fine sand).

The biggest downside to using cheap coarse sand is that it takes a long time to wash until it comes clean. What I do is quater fill a bucket, then hit it hard with the hose, then tip the water out and repeat until I am able to stir the sand up, wait 10 seconds and the water is clear again.

River Sand normally has these superfine bits already washed out from what I hear, but 'Coarse Sand' is cheap and easily attainable from any hardware store.

Remember dont make it too thick or you'll get big stagnant areas that will go nasty.

[ryanjury]

I have a tank will pool filter sand in it I think it looks quite wicked and doesn't seem to affect the fish..

[bli]

I used Silica Sand from placemakers which only cost about $10 and I only used half a bag for my planted tank. All waste just sits on the top and can be easily vacuumed. From what I gather there are heaps of different substrates out there all with their pro's and con's.... sometimes it just comes down to personal opinion!