# Substrate



## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

I am at a loss! I want bleach white sand! I bought the infamous play sand at wallyworld but of course I am picky and it is too dark. I want white! I am putting this into a 55G wanting to get it about 3" deep. Is sand from the beach ok? Any bacteria in there? Boil it maybe? I live in Pensacola Florida so the beach is a couple minutes away. Don't have much cash so I am trying to find some. Any input would help.


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## goodie (Sep 2, 2005)

Check local laws before loading up on "free" sand/rock from the beach. As far as boiling it, yes that will work. The type of lighting you have will also effect the way the sands tint appears.


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

Beach sand can contain some nasty things you don't want in your tank, i would advise against it. Metals, containments, etc...

If you have a home depot, go to one, in the garden area, they have two different type of play sand, brown & white. Their white sand is really white, wash it really good. It may be out of stock since garden is out of season right now.

Here's a pic of the stuff:


















Pretty white stuff...


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## goodie (Sep 2, 2005)

> Metals, containments, etc...


Yeah, wasn't thinking about that. :chair:


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## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

yes! See thats exactly what I was thinking. I figured it would be too infested with stuff. Of course more researching on my part found me to pool filter sand or silica sand. Yea apparently I got the brown play sand because I rinsed a handful of it and its...brown...NOT WHITE! Thanks to all! I will be doing things the right way. Getting soem egg crate for the rocks too. Thanks again.

Edit: WOW! That is a great looking fish! I am going for the malawi tank right now. Oh and is the sponge for the fry?

-Daniel


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## Alin10123 (May 22, 2005)

You could also try the white equivalent of the tahitian moon sand. I forgot specifically what it's called but i recall that being really white as well.


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## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

Yes I have seen a few pics of that too. Thanks!


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

talon4show said:


> yes! See thats exactly what I was thinking. I figured it would be too infested with stuff. Of course more researching on my part found me to pool filter sand or silica sand. Yea apparently I got the brown play sand because I rinsed a handful of it and its...brown...NOT WHITE! Thanks to all! I will be doing things the right way. Getting soem egg crate for the rocks too. Thanks again.
> 
> Edit: WOW! That is a great looking fish! I am going for the malawi tank right now. Oh and is the sponge for the fry?
> 
> -Daniel


 
Yea, have heard of few people getting pool sand, ive never worked with the stuff so couldn't tell you..

Thanx, i don't care for barebottem tanks on my fry tanks, so have a thin layer of sand. The sponge filter, is just a cutout Aquaclear sponge filter that i then slide over the intake pipe.

It works great for fry tanks of mine.


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## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

AHh yea. I have a feeling I will end up with Silica or blasting sand because apparently they are all the same as pool filter sand and less expensive. Also picking up some eggcrate to do it right. Just got the last of the rocks tonight. Thanks!


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## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

Ok. Got a 2X4 sheet of eggcrate. Two 50lbs bags of playsand. More rocks last night. AND WE'RE OFF!!! Anyways, just went and got all teh stuff. I went to a pool place to scope out their sand. Was pretty light colored but wanted to check Home Depot. They had all three (pool, silica, and play). Believe it or not their bags of play sand was the lightest sand of all. The sand I bought from wally world was too brown and Home Depots bags we the lightest I could find. Now I just need to get started. Thanks again everyone!


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## honmol (Jan 2, 2006)

Pool filter sand works really well for aquariums. It's $6 for 50 lbs at home depot last I checked.


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## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

Yea I looked and it was a darker color. I have about 25lbs. in it so far...hope it gets a lighter shade with the lights on...


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## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

Man... It is looking a little more brown then the above pics. I will just have to see when it clears up. It is REALLY cloudy right now. I rinsed each buclet of sand 4 times. Might go pick up some better bulbs than the ones that came with it. Any input as to what bulbs would really bring the tank to life?


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## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

Ok! Tank is full of water. Put about 3" of sand in. eggcrate the whole bottom of the tank. Bought an emperor 400. GOING GOOD! Now I am just wating for it to clear up to get the rocks in. Probably going to try to get some new bulbs tomorrow. Thanks again everyone! I will post pics as soon as it clears up.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

That sugar-white pensacola sand turns much darker when wet, just so you know for future reference. It will also contribute to so much brown diatom algae growth that it will drive you crazy. I should have mentioned it sooner, but I'm glad to see that it doesn't matter. ( I'm in Andalusia, by the way )


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## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

Oh ok. Andalusia. Man nothing is out there...lol! My dad worked at a power plant as an electrician there a few years ago. All I could smell on the motorcylcle ride up there was livestock...lol! Yea the play sand seems to be working out fine. I rinsed it out like crazy! I put a new emperor 400 on it last night before I went to bed and it is almost clear now. I went ahead and put my old filter back on it too just to hopefully speed things up for the time being. Thanks for the info on the Pcola sand though!

P.S. Your avatar....uhhh....its creeing me out!


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## Osiris (Jan 18, 2005)

Talon4show, u said u went to HD right? I shoulda said, the white sand be looking for would have a boy on the front wearing blue overalls on front of the bag, sorry i forgot, glad to see working out for you! Tank will get cloudy pretty easily from re-aquascaping the tank for like the first 5-6months, until it really really becomes seeded, then begins to clear almost instantly from messing around with the sand...


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## cheseboy (Aug 5, 2005)

Good to hear things are going well, tell us when you are going to put fish in it.


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## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

Oh yes I most certainly will. It is clearing up quite well! I went ahead and put my old filter back on for the time being because the more the merrier! Also, the filter cartridges still have the bacteria and such from the tank before I took all teh water out and put new water in. It will hopefully help the fishless cycle a little more.

GOT ANOTHER QUESTION FOR EVERYONE THOUGH! LIGHTS!

Ok I am looking for the hood/strip/lighting fixture/whatever it is called (lol) to house two 18" bulbs and I will need two of them because my 55 gallon has the seperator in the middle with two different lids. Where can I get two of these fixtures for a good price? 

Oh and another. I know that with just sand and rock my tank won't be all THAT exciting though I will like it...what else may look good in it? I will be going with African Cichlids so I don't know if plants will do the trick.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

cichlids usually destroy plants, uproot them, chew them up, all sorts of fun stuff, lots of people keep plants with cichlids, but most people just keep rocks and sand, you will be suprised how entertaining your tank will be with just those, the fish are the eye catcher, not the decor. try to get some more rocks and stack them so its neat to look at, be careful about that, because cichlids dig so you want to make sure your rocks are stacked very stable.


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## Lydia (Feb 6, 2005)

You need to make sure you silicone the rocks together; otherwise you might run the risk of them falling over and breaking your tank or killing a fish or two. Here are a few threads you might want to read that explain a little bit about siliconing rocks. One of them is about siliconing slate, but the general idea of cleaning and siliconing is the same. 

http://www.fishforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6061&highlight=silicone+rocks http://www.fishforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5634&highlight=silicone+rocks http://www.fishforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5604&highlight=silicone+rocks


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## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

Oh ok thanks. Unfortunately it is already done but every rock I stacked I dropped another one on it and if it feel I redid it. Thanks again!


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## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

Ok so it is finally all done and cleared up. Here are some pics. Please forgive the quality. The batteries are dead and I have to keep turning it on, turning the flash off, zooming, and taking the picture before it dies! I want to put some amazon sword plants in it but I am sure the Africans would probably destroy them... :roll: 

Overall:









Left side:









Right side:









On the right side...I call this the Flinstone house! Looks to have a door and garage on the left side...lol!









From the left side:










What it used to look like...








Hope is looks good to others.


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## Sincere (Aug 18, 2005)

This is a noob question for sure, but when putting sand in the bottom of a tank you put down eggcrate? Like eggcrate you would put on a mattress? Then the sand on top of it?


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

Talon, that is a great looking tank. I would put some black paper, or something as a background and add fish.....


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

Sincere said:


> This is a noob question for sure, but when putting sand in the bottom of a tank you put down eggcrate? Like eggcrate you would put on a mattress? Then the sand on top of it?


 not a noob question at all, the egg crate ive always heard about, is a little different, it looks like the light defusors from home depot that you see over fleouresant fixtures, lots of small boxes. i guess some poeple have used the foam stuff your talking about though. and ive also heard of people using styrofoam under the sand. i dont know if the foam hurts the water or the fish though so i dont use anything under my sand.


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## Sincere (Aug 18, 2005)

leveldrummer said:


> not a noob question at all, the egg crate ive always heard about, is a little different, it looks like the light defusors from home depot that you see over fleouresant fixtures, lots of small boxes. i guess some poeple have used the foam stuff your talking about though. and ive also heard of people using styrofoam under the sand. i dont know if the foam hurts the water or the fish though so i dont use anything under my sand.


Ah so nothing is neccesary under it? Thank ya, that would have been my next question.


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## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

Ron V - there is a black background on it in the pics. Its a little hard to see because of the way I take pictures. Fish will come but two of the fish I want are expensive as heck and I want to buy all of the fish at once to reduce territorial aggression. 

Sincere - technically it is "light diffuser" in the drop ceiling section at Home Depot but the label there actually says "eggcrate" so who knows. There is eggcrate under my sand though. I didn't set them on the eggcrate and then add sand like some people though.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

i didnt have anything under my sand, you dont "need" it but it is strongly recomended with cichlids because they dig very deep, and can dislodge a rock that will then fall into the hole they dug, and hit the glass bottom, so use your common sense, i had a very thick sand bed, and would push sand back into the holes every week when i did a water change, never had any large rocks fall, but people do all the time, maybe i was just lucky.


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## ron v (Feb 24, 2005)

The recommended procedure is to place the rocks first, then the sand. That way it's impossible for fish to undermine the rocks... The "light diffuser" eggcrate serves a different purpose. You put it directly on the glass to disperse the weight of heavy rocks. So a point of an especially heavy rock doesn't crack the glass bottom.... I've never done that tho.


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## leveldrummer (May 27, 2005)

ron v said:


> The recommended procedure is to place the rocks first, then the sand. That way it's impossible for fish to undermine the rocks... The "light diffuser" eggcrate serves a different purpose. You put it directly on the glass to disperse the weight of heavy rocks. So a point of an especially heavy rock doesn't crack the glass bottom.... I've never done that tho.


good point ron, ive always understood the diffusers to cushion a falling rock. never really thought of it the other way.


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## talon4show (Jan 2, 2006)

Yea the other reason to do it is to dispurse the weight evenly.


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