GTR Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 hey guys, im settin up my 8ft tank sunday coming and im wanting to layer the bottom with a really white sand of some sort, i have been told the best bet is too buy some stuff from a landscaper? is that the best thing to do? Cheers, Corey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBGC Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 Go to the landscape supplies with 2-3 10ltr buckets and ask for play sand. Should cost you under $15 roughly. Great stuff, just wash it with the hose for a good hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTR Posted December 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 ok sounds good, is it nice and white? i want as white as possible? cheers for the help. Corey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishHeadSoup Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 Just go to bunnings and get the tripple washed play sand (you still have to wash it) turns out white as Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTR Posted December 18, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 Just go to bunnings and get the tripple washed play sand (you still have to wash it) turns out white as so i assume thats the same stuff as mentioned above.. lol triple washed but you still gotta wash it.. hmm odd.. lol cheers scotty.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raycam01_au Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 yeah we been selling alot of the sand at work, as stated give it a good wash, the water will cloud alittle but thats no biggy, just leave the filters on and a do a few water changes and bobs your uncle!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willy Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 dont be affraid to have a look around at the lanscaping places.. i got a 30kg bag of 'white' sand, not play sand that is brown from a local lanscaping place for 5 bucks.. what a bargain. i have pics to show its white check 'green terror experts' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japes Posted December 18, 2009 Report Share Posted December 18, 2009 i got a 30kg bag of 'white' sand, not play sand that is brown The "play sand" from Bunnings isn't brown. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raycam01_au Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Japes there are alot of new gravels and sands coming into the business lately its awesome to see and they are priced fairly well i use the white sand also Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willy Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 my apologies, just my initial understanding of play sand is the stuff you put in a sand pit or something like that which is tan in colour. not that i was saying that the bunnings sand wasnt white, i was just talking bout the stuff from the landscapers where i got mine from.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishHeadSoup Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 Dunno about bundy mate but growing up in brisbane the sandpit sand was always white! - well till the next door neighbours cat got into it! i think they just steal it from the islands but urs looks mad all the same. Watch ur nitrate levels as they can build up pockets in sand and hope u dont wanna grow plants Corey! Cheers, Scotty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willy Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 lol, mustve been easier for yous to get white sand maybe? when i was growing up we had just normal sand like from the beach.. but maybe that was just cheaper? yeah nitrate levels do come up a little everynow and then.. but as for the plants you can grow a few plants in sand.. mine are? dont know how well they are growing? but they are growing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishHeadSoup Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 yeh ive always had trouble with the roots the sand compacts too much and they cant grow and just end up rotting but there must be a way as they grow like that in nature! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willy Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 lol, yeah very true.. maybe the wild grown ones are a little more tolerent of it? who knows? it is a pain though if you want to have some good greenery and nice sand.. hard to have both without abit of expense and time? you could use the plant soils then sand on top cant you? that reminds me.. i have to clean my tank out and loosen the sand haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishHeadSoup Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 lol, yeah very true.. maybe the wild grown ones are a little more tolerent of it? who knows? it is a pain though if you want to have some good greenery and nice sand.. hard to have both without abit of expense and time? you could use the plant soils then sand on top cant you? that reminds me.. i have to clean my tank out and loosen the sand haha :whoa: eureka :eureka: up there for drinking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willy Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 lol, does that mean you havent thought about that yet? teh only prob with that is if you have a decent size tank it can get quite expensive.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FishHeadSoup Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 lol, does that mean you havent thought about that yet? teh only prob with that is if you have a decent size tank it can get quite expensive.. nah was having dramas with the nitrates & bloom so i turfed it and went back to gravel... was only in a 2 footer with crap filtration woulda been more successful in a larger tank with adequate filtration... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willy Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 oh yeah righto, i see what you mean.. im thinking of going back to gravel too, just sume small stuff not too big or too small like sand something like 2-3 mm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarg Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 I had a tank with landscape sand and it was ok, an off white colour, the I grabed a bag of double washed bunnings sand... and washed it in a bin till the water overflowing run clear... and under lights it is much whiter. You wouldn't think it when you grab the bag but it does come up white. I have plants on driftwood to overcome the sand problem and all seems to be ok for the moment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willy Posted December 19, 2009 Report Share Posted December 19, 2009 really, i might have to go and have a look at bunnings.. is it in the gardening part? as long as you do regular maintenance then it shouldnt get out of hand.. which is basically the same for everything you do in this hobby i believe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric A Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 This thread is awesome. I was looking for something like this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTR Posted December 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 WOW, this thread has blown up.. thanks heaps for all the info guys n gals.. appreciate it. so ive now got white sand in my 8ft setup which ive just literally finished.. looks amazing.. now just to figure out how to keep this white sand clean.. Cheers, Corey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raycam01_au Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 guy's sand is easy as to maintain, lightly run a gravel vac over the top once a week or so to lift any little bits of debris, put and internal filter in there with the nozzle facing down on one side with the intake on the other side this will help with dead spots in and around your rocks, put in a reverse under gravel with jets efective if done correctly and once a week or 2, with the net i sold ya turn it around and lightly aerate your sand, this will keep it loose and not compacted. your fish choose helps also, with most of your africans etc, they will dig so sand is sweet n sexy when used correctly not too expensive for eric :soppy: :soppy: god bless u and all in all you will enjoy yourself Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
japes Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 I use the handle of my algae scrubbers in deep tanks for moving the sand around. If you're running canisters you can cut the piping so that the intake is higher so it won't suck any up if the fish have a bit of a dig in the corner. Most sands won't have an issue with this but super fine play sand or other equivalents can float around a little before settling back down again. I also highly recommend turning off your canister while you do a water-change if you're going to be aerating the sand. I usually w/c with them left on but if I'm giving the substrate a stir I'll flick them off until it's filling back up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willy Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 hey gtr, cant wait to see some pics now.. good luck with the sand and the tank im sure you'll be able to handle it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
