2littlerevheads Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 hoping someone will help me out with idea's was think of using white sand for the bottom of the tank . now being new to the scaping part of this. what plants are good with sand ? do i have to run the co2 stuff? and where would i buy the sand from . sorry for all the question but would really love to aquascape so thing nice . so any idea would be great :bighug: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermadum Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 The thing to be careful of with sand is that it can compact quite firmly and you run the risk of ending up with anaerobic pockets, that are not particularly good. People use it a lot with success, I just think it's something to be aware of when you're using it. Brunnings (with an R) brand sands are usually ok to use in an aquarium, and you can get them from Bunnings for very reasonable prices. There are some DIY approaches to substrate around that's very popular on a different forum using sand, marble chips & blood and bone that people have used with some success. CO2 depends a bit on what you want to keep, light levels etc. If you're just starting out, rather than spend hundreds of dollars on a CO2 setup, you can try a DIY method. I use the same one Lily talks about at the bottom of this thread (http://ausaqua.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=8151) and it's great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2littlerevheads Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 will keep googling . kinda thinking against sand now as this tank is for my wilds and would like a natural looking tank . but it has to look good as it will be a display tank, i dont like the whole soil idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kermadum Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I'm sure there's a few people on here that have used sand before in their tanks. If you ask nicely they might throw some pictures up here for you. I used a black sand from Bell River in my Macrostoma tank with a light dusting of peat moss underneath it and the plants are going crazy. My three Channoides tanks all have bare bottoms because the little buggers breed so much, and it's easier to clean excess microworms or grindalworms off the bottom of a bare tank than it is to clean them out of substrate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zhong89 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 The thing to be careful of with sand is that it can compact quite firmly and you run the risk of ending up with anaerobic pockets, that are not particularly good. People use it a lot with success, I just think it's something to be aware of when you're using it. I competely agree with that. I bought a tank not too long ago the previous owner use sand as substrate and when disturbed the substrate there's a quite a foul smell that came out of it. There were pockets of organic matter trapped within the sand and it's hard to clean coz when you vaccum the bottom the sand come out with the excrements Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pyrefly Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 http://thegab.org/Plants/setting-up-a-walstad-natural-planted-tank.html Take a look at that link Jenny. A NPT if done right would be the perfect environment for your intended wild pair. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Jennie, both Paul and I use sand in our wild tanks the substrate we use can be found here As long as you don't go with the super fine play sand and get the propegating sand, you will be right. You can find it at bunnings (I use the brunnings brand in the yellow bag - you find it near the potting mixes and seed raising mix) Paul found it was cheaper to go to the local landscaping supply store and get the sand from there... You'll have to ask him what to look for and prices. Plant wise, if you go for low light plants (java fern, crypts, val, mosses etc), you don't have to worry about fancy lighting. You may have to add a DIY CO2 setup like Adam posted above, but it is dead easy to do. Also do a google search on natural planted tanks - yes, they use soil (you can also use the sand substrate above for a natural planted tank), but you can cap it with just about any gravel you like. The whole idea is that it is low maintenence once the plants have established themselves and it is a cheap option. You can use gravel alone, of course, but will need to use fertilizers to obtain good growth and healthy plants. At the higher price end, you can get something like aquasoil that looks more like small rounded black gravel than actual soil. Bear in mind that this does break down over time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2littlerevheads Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 thanks for info guys hopefully get my new tank on the weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shadoh Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Did you get that one on facebook? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2littlerevheads Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 nope , only have about $50 to spend on a second tank . i can buy new ones for $120 and i dont need filter or heater as i have all that B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wild Nut Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Honestly, the sand in my rutilan tank is black in places and smells distinctly funky, and it has never affected any of the fish/fry in there. I also have fine sand in a couple of my betta tanks, and I never do anything with it and it's been fine. Personally I prefer the look of sand over gravel, particularly the coarser more natural looking stuff. Brunnings propagating sand is great for plants like crypts and swords. I used to use it in one of my tanks and the crypts were always throwing off new shoots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt_95 Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Jenny, if you don't want to run CO2 make sure you add some organic matter to your substrate whether it be soil or any other substrate such as the one Jarrod and Paul use. If your going to use medium lighting I would suggest any of the following: Lotus (I was told they are also very good as species from the albimarginata complex like to lurk under large broadleaf plants) Small swords Crypts Blyxa Moss Java fern Staurogyne There are many others as well, I put those ones up as they need no/little trimming as I wouldn't want to disturb the bettas while they are holding/ have young fry. I use soil in all of my tanks with great success, sounds like it would be a mess but it isn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fletch Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I have two threads going at the moment in the community tank section. Have a look Jennie and I will answer any question best I can. I used "River Sand" from the landscapers yard. Needed a good wash but it cost $2 for 20kg. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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