so, im thinking the lane mountain sand has got to go

[nick_76]

this is what I was going for:


but my fish really aren't thriving with it. it hardens up the water fast. it hosts a bacteria that turns the tank black and emits sulfurous smelling bubbles while im doing water changes. it has next to no nutrients for plant growth

im thinking the whiteness of the sand, besides showing off the ginormous noodles of pleco shit, is really lending itself to a stakly lit tank
my 75 with t5s and brown fluorite is much more warm& comfortable looking

so dump the sand for fluorite, right? wrong- I have really gotten to enjoy how some species, like my corys and juripari do with fine grained substrate..
sooo...suggestions for something fine like sand, keeps the water nice and soft for the discus, and has plenty of yummy plant nutrition?

 

[LuminousAphid]

It probably won't keep the water soft if it has plenty of plant nutrition, so I think those two might be mutually exclusive but I could be wrong.

I like the sand I have, it's the stuff Cory sells at Aquarium Co-Op- it's medium-fine grained, definitely not as fine as the white sand, but that means better penetration of nutrients to solve part of your problem, and also I haven't had the problems with sulfur bubbles like I did with similar white sand.

I don't know about the bacteria, they may be thriving off excess silicates or something that is being dissolved into the tank, especially if it's acidic. I know silicates can contribute to brown algae growth, which can look like nasty black bacteria when it dies

 

[DMD123]

That is an awesome tank to shoot for! :clap: 

 

[PokeSephiroth]

I think pool filter sand should work for you. I use it in all my tanks, dirted or not, and I haven't had any problems with it.

Or is Lane Mountain Sand the same thing as pool filter sand, just a brand name? etc? Hmm..

 

[LuminousAphid]

I think pool filter sand is much more coarse, because it has to stay inside the filter of a certain pore size... it's probably more round too, to avoid cutting up the filter. I have heard it works good,so that's a great suggestion. But I have found it's expensive. AquaQuip had one that was just a bunch of crushed up beer bottles and was cheaper.... didn't seem fish safe! it was quite sharp, I don't know how that works in a filter...

 

[PokeSephiroth]

Weird... Pool Filter Sand is like...way cheap, compared to the aquarium sand that is sold at petsmart/petco.

usually it's like $20 for a 50lb bag of Pool Filter Sand, whereas, "aquarium sand" at petco sells for like $20 for a 10lb bag.

Aquarium Co-Op sells the sand that's similar in size with pool filter sand for $7.50 for 10 lbs, which isn't bad at all (price-wise). But you definitely still get a better deal with pool filter sand.

I haven't had any problems with my Corydoras and their whiskers eroding from the pool filter sand, infact, I see them digging through the pool filter sand often

 

[Anonymous]

You can find Fluorite in sand. I have about 230 pounds of fluorite gravel & sand mix in one of my tanks its about 80% fluorite gravel, 20% sand. Please don't ask what I paid for it,lol.  I've had pretty large Earth eaters. They had no issue diggn. Although there is no longer big fish in there I currently have a good school of Emerald Cory cats owning the substrate now. Plants do well with fluorite, even better with CO2 injection and root tabs. You can also find Fluorite substrate  in kind of a rust brown color. I may eventually pick up a couple bags of that in sand just to add something different than black.

 

[BillHN]

Weird... Pool Filter Sand is like...way cheap, compared to the aquarium sand that is sold at petsmart/petco.

usually it's like $20 for a 50lb bag of Pool Filter Sand, whereas, "aquarium sand" at petco sells for like $20 for a 10lb bag.

Aquarium Co-Op sells the sand that's similar in size with pool filter sand for $7.50 for 10 lbs, which isn't bad at all (price-wise). But you definitely still get a better deal with pool filter sand.

I haven't had any problems with my Corydoras and their whiskers eroding from the pool filter sand, infact, I see them digging through the pool filter sand often

Still got 14 panda cories living in PFS. I've had no problems so far.
____________________________________________________


As far as flourite sand goes. I have no idea about it.

Gl with the aquascape though.

 

[pbmax]

so dump the sand for fluorite, right? wrong- I have really gotten to enjoy how some species, like my corys and juripari do with fine grained substrate..
sooo...suggestions for something fine like sand, keeps the water nice and soft for the discus, and has plenty of yummy plant nutrition?

The only real nutritive substrates out there are derived from dirt. Even fluorite isn't very good in the nutrient department. As I understand it, its primary purpose in a planted tank is to provide a place for nutrients, as opposed to providing those nutrients itself. If you have your hearts on a nutritive substrate that helps keep water soft, you may consider aquasoil amazonia or something similar to that. The grain size isn't terribly small, but it'll pull your PH down and provide a ton of nutrients.

Other than that, as multiple other people have mentioned, pool filter sand is likely your best bet. It's bigger than standard sand and has mostly smooth edges - good for corys (though I've had no problems with corys and "rough" sand either). The only downside is that you're somewhat limited in your color choices...

 

[BillHN]

Well he's doing o natural. PFS seems natural.

 

[JimA]

I am sucking the lane mtn out of my tank as well. While I liked the look of it, it just isn't working for me. Like mentioned I see some areas behind the background where it has turned black, I have not noticed and sulfur pockets at all. The other issue I remember Anthrax saying is it will cause diatoms which it has. Not so much on the rocks but on the sand itself. So I am going to reg PFS. I wish it was white but I have used it before and should be fine.. Another thing is the lane mtn is so fine I am having issues of it blowing around and getting into the filters.

 

[pbmax]

Well he's doing o natural. PFS seems natural.

Yes, indeed.  The PFS I have is a beige color that looks like a natural stream bed. It looks great in a couple of my 20g tanks - the walstad and the garage 20 where I keep most of my corys.  It does tend to wash out fish and shrimp coloration though, which is why I commented on the color.

 

[PokeSephiroth]

JimA: Now, see....THAT is weird, because I always thought that Pool Filter Sand would cause diatoms on the sand itself as well, since it's basically silica sand, but I haven't had any diatoms in my tanks... which is awesome! But yeah, it's just weird. And I'm surprised that, that Lane Mountain Sand is growing diatoms on it....... I'm guessing that, that stuff is basically the same stuff as Pool Filter Sand, but finer? I've never even seen that stuff before, but that's the only thing I can think of.

 

[anderson_p_r]

I've been using black aquarium sand from PetCo, the 20lb. bags are usually right around $20 after tax. I've been considering trying the blasting sand in an upcoming tank, but my concerns lie with it being too fine. Sounds like coarser grits are available. I believe Poke is using mineralized soil, like I am, and I believe we both have been very satisfied. I'm currently working on a new recipe for my soil and should have it all figured out by the end of the year.

 

[plaamoo]

I have a few tanks with CaribSea Torpedo beach sand.
http://companioncaterers.com/carib-sea-acs05823-super-natural-torpedo-beach-sand-for-aquarium-5-pound.html?gclid=CMq598f60rkCFQnhQgodUFkADg
It's a good size, nice white color, I wouldn't want anything smaller. That dusty stuff causes all sorts of problems. Pool filter sand comes in different sizes. Torpedo beach is expensive and I'm guessing you can find a pool filter sand of similar diameter. I haven't seen what Cory's selling?
Silica does promote diatoms, even tank glass(especially a new tank)will grow it. Afwuchs grazers love diatoms so if you have otos, gastromyzons, plecos, etc. it's a good thing!

 

[JimA]

Just got done taking about 90% of it out, I only bought one bag of PFS 14 dollars. As far as the PFS sand causing diatoms so say yes some say no. I think it does, but I have never seen it on the sand itself like I did with the lane mtn.. Go figure? Anyhoo I miss the white as it really made my Tropheus pop, but they still look very good. Also rinsing the PFS took a 1/4 of the time it did for the lane mtn. Mainly I was not happy with how much of the fines from the lane mtn was ending up in the filters. Also when I syphoned the sand the bucket was always chit brown from the diatoms coming off the sand, sure I can stir it up but it just didn't look good.. I will post a before and after tomorrow for you! I also pulled almost all the rock out and did a really good cleaning of the tank..

 

[Anonymous]

Never have problems with diatoms cause I have a powerhead circulating the water all the time. Diatoms cant stick with water circulating. And also have 2 plecos eating all bio film. And 3 canister filters.  No problems.

 

[JimA]

Never have problems with diatoms cause I have a powerhead circulating the water all the time. Diatoms cant stick with water circulating. And also have 2 plecos eating all bio film. And 3 canister filters.  No problems.

I have 3 power heads 2 1500gph and one 1200gph along with one FX5 and 2 Aquatop 400 canisters so tons of flow and I get diatoms. So thinking that kinda blows that theory out of the water.. Pardon the pun  

 

[iandraco]

i have heard of a brand of PFS called Mystic White which i am still trying to find that is supposed to be mostly white but has some darker flecks in it. i can order it online, but the shipping hurts a little. having a hard time finding it locally. those of you who want white sand may want to hunt around for some. maybe you can find it in your area.

 

[JimA]

Most of the PFS around here or Seattle area is Leslies or Target brand. Much depends on where you live in the country. Mid and South of the country seems to be whiter sand where as the west coast seems to be tan. Never seen the Mystic white..