Raymond John
01-17-2003, 11:07 AM
[b:896ab95af3][color=blue:896ab95af3][/color:896ab95af3] 8) Good Morning Everyone,
Just finished introducing myself last night in the 'General' section of this forum and started this post but got side-tracked on other matters.....anyways, lets try this again.
I really like the effect sand has on my fish....they enjoy it.....they love digging around the boulders in my tank....
I had white pool filter sand as a substrate, but it was becoming quite stained with dirt and algae.....even after water changes and vacuuming and churning the sand, it still looked dirty......I wont do white again.
Actually by mistake, I found a very natural colored sand.....the color of beach sand.
It is grade #3 sand-blasting sand and runs about $5.00 a bag for an 80lb bag. As far as I know, it can not be found at the Home Improvement centers---not here anyways.
I found mine at the local Concrete Supply Center. Here, they carry differant grades and are always available.....grades however are differant colors. One that I used before was the 'Black-Beauty'. It is however, tiny shards of glass......using it, I never had any problems with my fish as they siphoned it through there gills.....I would have used it again, but I found the #3 stuff and it was what I had always looked for in a substrate.
If you can't find a Concrete Supply Center, call a local collision shop and ask where they get their supply of sand-blasting sand.....
Cleaning was easy.......I emptied an entire bag into a plastic tub outside and buried the end of the garden hose in it and turned it on full blast......it does murk up a lot so cleaning it thoroughly before using it is a must.
I let the water flow out of the tub for a few minutes before going back to it and dumping the water out and starting all over.....It was clean enough for me when I could see the sand clearly at the bottom of the tub.....at this point, I would churn the sand, trying to stir up the murkiness again.....when it settled quickly, even with the hose still running through it, I figured it was as clean as it would get.
Displayed in the aquarium, it is beautiful.......when the Frontosa's and lelupi dig and haul the sand to another place, watching the sand fall from their mouth without a powdery residue rising, to me was well worth the purchase and the little time it took to pre-wash it.
I have had no problems with sand getting caught in my canister filters or in the pump of my trickle filter causing impeller damage. As a matter-of-fact, I have found no trace of sand granules in my canisters or the sump of my trickle filter.
Before I forget....., be careful pouring wet sand into your aquarium.....it is heavy.....a while back I was setting up one of my smaller aquariums and was pouring wet sand from a five gallon bucket.....I could feel by the weight of the bucket that some sand had stuck to the bottom of the bucket. Instead of reaching into the bucket I just slapped the bottom of the bucket and BOOM! It all came out and went right through the bottom of the fish tank.....
Anybody wanting sand, try this sand or any bagged sand used for sand-blasting.....it needs a little cleaning effort in the beginning but its worth it......When using the 'Black-Beauty' sand some residue will float so I would really recommend the procedure mentioned above and keep an eye on when the residue is gone......
Most of this sand is stored inside and on a pallet so there should be no fear of any contamination by outside sources......
Talk to You Soon,
Raymond John[/b:896ab95af3]
Just finished introducing myself last night in the 'General' section of this forum and started this post but got side-tracked on other matters.....anyways, lets try this again.
I really like the effect sand has on my fish....they enjoy it.....they love digging around the boulders in my tank....
I had white pool filter sand as a substrate, but it was becoming quite stained with dirt and algae.....even after water changes and vacuuming and churning the sand, it still looked dirty......I wont do white again.
Actually by mistake, I found a very natural colored sand.....the color of beach sand.
It is grade #3 sand-blasting sand and runs about $5.00 a bag for an 80lb bag. As far as I know, it can not be found at the Home Improvement centers---not here anyways.
I found mine at the local Concrete Supply Center. Here, they carry differant grades and are always available.....grades however are differant colors. One that I used before was the 'Black-Beauty'. It is however, tiny shards of glass......using it, I never had any problems with my fish as they siphoned it through there gills.....I would have used it again, but I found the #3 stuff and it was what I had always looked for in a substrate.
If you can't find a Concrete Supply Center, call a local collision shop and ask where they get their supply of sand-blasting sand.....
Cleaning was easy.......I emptied an entire bag into a plastic tub outside and buried the end of the garden hose in it and turned it on full blast......it does murk up a lot so cleaning it thoroughly before using it is a must.
I let the water flow out of the tub for a few minutes before going back to it and dumping the water out and starting all over.....It was clean enough for me when I could see the sand clearly at the bottom of the tub.....at this point, I would churn the sand, trying to stir up the murkiness again.....when it settled quickly, even with the hose still running through it, I figured it was as clean as it would get.
Displayed in the aquarium, it is beautiful.......when the Frontosa's and lelupi dig and haul the sand to another place, watching the sand fall from their mouth without a powdery residue rising, to me was well worth the purchase and the little time it took to pre-wash it.
I have had no problems with sand getting caught in my canister filters or in the pump of my trickle filter causing impeller damage. As a matter-of-fact, I have found no trace of sand granules in my canisters or the sump of my trickle filter.
Before I forget....., be careful pouring wet sand into your aquarium.....it is heavy.....a while back I was setting up one of my smaller aquariums and was pouring wet sand from a five gallon bucket.....I could feel by the weight of the bucket that some sand had stuck to the bottom of the bucket. Instead of reaching into the bucket I just slapped the bottom of the bucket and BOOM! It all came out and went right through the bottom of the fish tank.....
Anybody wanting sand, try this sand or any bagged sand used for sand-blasting.....it needs a little cleaning effort in the beginning but its worth it......When using the 'Black-Beauty' sand some residue will float so I would really recommend the procedure mentioned above and keep an eye on when the residue is gone......
Most of this sand is stored inside and on a pallet so there should be no fear of any contamination by outside sources......
Talk to You Soon,
Raymond John[/b:896ab95af3]