Aquatopia Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 Just a couple of quick questions regarding Silica Sand. I bought mine at Placemakers, Riccarton and it was described as white sand. The guy told me its also called Silica Sand and as someone else on here said they also got theres at the same store Im hoping its the right stuff. 1) How much rinsing does it need ? Is it the same rule as with gravel ? (IE rinse till water runs clear). 2) How deep should it be in the tank ? I will be placing rocks in there too, of course. I have some calcite so am thinking about sticking that as a thin layer under the sand to act as a buffer. Will this work ? Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 14, 2008 Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 1. Its a lot finer than gravel, so make sure you're not throwing too much of the actual sand away. 2. Don't go too deep or you'll get dead spots and it will be harder to to stir up. 3. The fish will stir it up, and you will too when cleaning, so it'll end up just being mixed in with the sand. There won't be much water flow under a layer of silica sand so I don't think it would work as a buffer very well even if you didnt disturb it. Also, what kind of filtration are you using? It is easily stirred up by cichlids, so if you're running a canister you'll need some sort of foam over the intake unless its a long way off the bottom (probably at least 18" to be safe). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted July 14, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2008 Hi DavidR Thanks for the reply. Im using a Biolife 55 wet/dry internal filter (as this is on a Tropiquarium 88 tank). Im also trying to get my Tunze comline filter running but hitting a brick wall with fitting the inlet tube. Take your point about not being enough water movement for the calcite to make a buffering difference. Better idea may be to put some in a filter bag at the back of the rocks (or get a fluidised filter maybe ?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdj5 Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 i have sand in my tank and the fish and plants love it the tank has been running the sand for 2 years and i run a cf 1200 in it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bulldogod Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Is it easy to keep clean??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 No. Silica sand is white and very fine, so any muck sits on top and stands out. I was doing a syphon every 3 days (in a heavily stocked tank) and it was still dirty looking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Whip Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 I had a look at the sand at placemakers but then went for a pool filter sand it is whiter and a little chunckyer. But it stays clean and the fish love it. Plus it was only $30 for 25Kg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted July 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Lol. The stuff I got was $15 for 40kg - even cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinsonMassif Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Ha ha that is expensive. I paid $5 for 25kgs at Mitre10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquatopia Posted July 16, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 Ha ha that is expensive. I paid $5 for 25kgs at Mitre10. :roll: :roll: Theres always a better deal to be got !!! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted July 16, 2008 Report Share Posted July 16, 2008 The pool shop in Hamilton (next to the cheese shop in ham east) GAVE me a bag of pool filter sand FREE!!!! Mind you, they did drop their sign on our letterbox when they were putting it up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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