sand base

aseminolelady · 01/12/2007, 07:21 AM

good morning all-MY question is:
I have a white rock bottom and am wanting to switch to a sand bottom for the least amount of cost. If I go to the beach and get the sand from the water there, is there anything special I need to do b4 putting in my tank?( right now there is nothing in tank but saltwater and white gravel). Thanks

rustybucket145 · 01/12/2007, 07:35 AM

Wouldn't suggest that. Many things exist on beaches that you don't want in your tank. Mainly: Pollution! Oil and gas from boats rises to the top of the water eventually washing up onto the beach. Many people, worried about cost simply use sand from home depot or landsape garden center. For the 110 you could probably put a Deep Sand Bed in for under $15. I would definately remove the White Gravel. Do you even know what it is? what type of rock?

For the saltwater, for the same reasons (pollution) buy a bucket of Instant Ocean or other brand, it will last a LONG time.

aseminolelady · 01/12/2007, 07:41 AM

HI rusty
I did the ocean salt already(not from the beach) So my salt is fine.I just wanted to switch to sand bottom and the rock in the tank now is what I had when it was a freshwater setup.I was told I could use it, but after speaking with my son and looking, I decided to go with a sand bottom. Can I get the sand u use at homedepot? or where?
thanks

rustybucket145 · 01/12/2007, 08:25 AM

Any type of sand is ok to use. People prefer the Aragonite based sand b/c it helps with the calcium levels in your tank but it is not required. Most sands available are silica based. They will do fine in a tank but do not have the buffering ability that the Aragonite based sands have.

How to tell the difference you ask? Simple! If you have say, 5 different places that sell sand locally it might be worth a shot to try to get an aragonite based sand. All you need is a cup, bottle of white vinegar and the sand. fill the cup with vinegar, sprinkle some sand in. If it fizzes it is the real deal Aragonite!! If it doesn't it's silica based.

If you can't find aragonite based sand silica will work fine. I would suggest trying to get the whitest silica based sand that you can b/c it will look more appealing in your tank.

Most Concrete/masonary companies carry sand. As well as HD, Lowes and any garden/greenhouse/landscaping store. Some of it will be in bags, some will be in piles. It really doesn't matter which one you get but the sand in piles will usually be much cheaper than the bags.

rustybucket145 · 01/12/2007, 08:29 AM

Since this is your first tank, I would HIGHLY suggest going the Deep Sand Bed (DSB) route. It will make your tank more stable and easy to maintain. Your sand bottom should be anywhere from 4"-6" deep and 5" being about perfect from my experience. You will never have to vaccum the sand (actually you're not supposed to EVER).

aseminolelady · 01/13/2007, 07:25 AM

Hi again
Ty so much for your help.Could u please send me the name and picture again of the sand u use? Somehow I lost it.
Thank you

rustybucket145 · 01/15/2007, 09:21 AM

Here is the Aragonite that I use. Carrib Sea Floor Special Grade.

http://www.aquatichobbyaquariumsuppl...b_p/cr0003.htm

as for the Home Depot sand, you should base your decision on the color of the sand. Most people want it as white as possible so I would suggest just walking around and looking at what they have available and picking the whitest (it can vary from bag to bag) I would use the HD sand for your bottom layers and then use the Carib Sea Aragonite for your top layers.

Probably need at least 2-3 bags of the HD sand and 3-4 of the Aragonite for good coverage. The HD sand is usually $2-$3/bag but the aragonite can be pretty pricey. If price is the #1 factor just go entirely with the HD sand. But be sure to thoroughly wash it, the HD sand will have twiggs and roots in it.

aseminolelady · 01/15/2007, 09:25 AM

hi again-
I found this plz tell me what u think:
yard right select tropical play sand from the carbbean 100 % natural?
Thanks I cant find the othe or this actually ANY where.

01/12/2007, 07:35 AM	#2
rustybucket145 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: valdosta, ga Posts: 3,707	Wouldn't suggest that. Many things exist on beaches that you don't want in your tank. Mainly: Pollution! Oil and gas from boats rises to the top of the water eventually washing up onto the beach. Many people, worried about cost simply use sand from home depot or landsape garden center. For the 110 you could probably put a Deep Sand Bed in for under $15. I would definately remove the White Gravel. Do you even know what it is? what type of rock? For the saltwater, for the same reasons (pollution) buy a bucket of Instant Ocean or other brand, it will last a LONG time. __________________ 400gals of various tanks in the same system. Current Tank Info: 2 175w MH, 2 VH0 Actinics, Lots of Live Rock, tons of copepods, a Fat Mandarin Goby, Niger Trigger, Yellow Tang, Falco Hawkfish, Bi-Color Pseudo, numerous soft, SPS and LPS Corals

01/12/2007, 08:25 AM	#4
rustybucket145 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: valdosta, ga Posts: 3,707	Any type of sand is ok to use. People prefer the Aragonite based sand b/c it helps with the calcium levels in your tank but it is not required. Most sands available are silica based. They will do fine in a tank but do not have the buffering ability that the Aragonite based sands have. How to tell the difference you ask? Simple! If you have say, 5 different places that sell sand locally it might be worth a shot to try to get an aragonite based sand. All you need is a cup, bottle of white vinegar and the sand. fill the cup with vinegar, sprinkle some sand in. If it fizzes it is the real deal Aragonite!! If it doesn't it's silica based. If you can't find aragonite based sand silica will work fine. I would suggest trying to get the whitest silica based sand that you can b/c it will look more appealing in your tank. Most Concrete/masonary companies carry sand. As well as HD, Lowes and any garden/greenhouse/landscaping store. Some of it will be in bags, some will be in piles. It really doesn't matter which one you get but the sand in piles will usually be much cheaper than the bags. __________________ 400gals of various tanks in the same system. Current Tank Info: 2 175w MH, 2 VH0 Actinics, Lots of Live Rock, tons of copepods, a Fat Mandarin Goby, Niger Trigger, Yellow Tang, Falco Hawkfish, Bi-Color Pseudo, numerous soft, SPS and LPS Corals

01/12/2007, 08:29 AM	#5
rustybucket145 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: valdosta, ga Posts: 3,707	Since this is your first tank, I would HIGHLY suggest going the Deep Sand Bed (DSB) route. It will make your tank more stable and easy to maintain. Your sand bottom should be anywhere from 4"-6" deep and 5" being about perfect from my experience. You will never have to vaccum the sand (actually you're not supposed to EVER). __________________ 400gals of various tanks in the same system. Current Tank Info: 2 175w MH, 2 VH0 Actinics, Lots of Live Rock, tons of copepods, a Fat Mandarin Goby, Niger Trigger, Yellow Tang, Falco Hawkfish, Bi-Color Pseudo, numerous soft, SPS and LPS Corals

01/15/2007, 09:21 AM	#7
rustybucket145 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: valdosta, ga Posts: 3,707	Here is the Aragonite that I use. Carrib Sea Floor Special Grade. http://www.aquatichobbyaquariumsuppl...b_p/cr0003.htm as for the Home Depot sand, you should base your decision on the color of the sand. Most people want it as white as possible so I would suggest just walking around and looking at what they have available and picking the whitest (it can vary from bag to bag) I would use the HD sand for your bottom layers and then use the Carib Sea Aragonite for your top layers. Probably need at least 2-3 bags of the HD sand and 3-4 of the Aragonite for good coverage. The HD sand is usually $2-$3/bag but the aragonite can be pretty pricey. If price is the #1 factor just go entirely with the HD sand. But be sure to thoroughly wash it, the HD sand will have twiggs and roots in it. __________________ 400gals of various tanks in the same system. Current Tank Info: 2 175w MH, 2 VH0 Actinics, Lots of Live Rock, tons of copepods, a Fat Mandarin Goby, Niger Trigger, Yellow Tang, Falco Hawkfish, Bi-Color Pseudo, numerous soft, SPS and LPS Corals

01/12/2007, 07:21 AM	#1
aseminolelady Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 59	sand base good morning all-MY question is: I have a white rock bottom and am wanting to switch to a sand bottom for the least amount of cost. If I go to the beach and get the sand from the water there, is there anything special I need to do b4 putting in my tank?( right now there is nothing in tank but saltwater and white gravel). Thanks

01/12/2007, 07:41 AM	#3
aseminolelady Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 59	HI rusty I did the ocean salt already(not from the beach) So my salt is fine.I just wanted to switch to sand bottom and the rock in the tank now is what I had when it was a freshwater setup.I was told I could use it, but after speaking with my son and looking, I decided to go with a sand bottom. Can I get the sand u use at homedepot? or where? thanks

01/13/2007, 07:25 AM	#6
aseminolelady Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 59	Hi again Ty so much for your help.Could u please send me the name and picture again of the sand u use? Somehow I lost it. Thank you

01/15/2007, 09:25 AM	#8
aseminolelady Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 59	hi again- I found this plz tell me what u think: yard right select tropical play sand from the carbbean 100 % natural? Thanks I cant find the othe or this actually ANY where.