Sand in a freshwater aquarium

[Filip]

SO, I've been keeping fish for quite a while, and I have decided to go "all-out".
I'm planning to make a 20 gallon high, with lots of live plants and a sand area, since I want to keep blue rams, and I hear they love digging through the substrate. I already bought the substrate, Fluval Stratum, and I don't really want the rams digging through the soil, since I hear it can get cloudy if disturbed. So that is where the sand patch comes in.
I want the tank to be planted and in the front right, I want to put some sand (soil and sand would be divided by rocks, of course) for the rams to dig around in without messing with the Stratum.
Can I use Carib Sea ocean direct?
Plan is 2x blue rams and some otos.
Thanks!

 

[seangee]

Can I use Carib Sea ocean direct?

The name suggests marine?
I have always just used play sand, or more recently river sand in my aquariums. IMO the specialist planted substrates are over rated and over priced.

 

[corylover5]

I use Carib Sea sand but not ocean direct. I think the ocean direct is for Saltwater.

 

[Colin_T]

If you want some sand in the tank, use a small plastic container about 1-2 inches high and put sand in that. Put the container in the tank and have the gravel a 1/4 -1/2 inch below the top of the container. The fish can play in the sand pit and the gravel and sand won't mix.

Don't use a marine sand.
Use a grey river sand.

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Yes... i'm pretty sure that the sand you mentioned is only meant for saltwater tanks...

I also suggest looking into a 20g long tank, if you want to get more species of fish in that one tank. A 20g high is pretty much just two, 10g tanks stacked on top of one another. A 20g long, provides more room for your fish.

 

[Filip]

Yes... i'm pretty sure that the sand you mentioned is only meant for saltwater tanks...

I also suggest looking into a 20g long tank, if you want to get more species of fish in that one tank. A 20g high is pretty much just two, 10g tanks stacked on top of one another. A 20g long, provides more room for your fish.

Yeah, I have been thinking about this but I already have a pretty expensive stand for a 20 high and I don't really have the money to buy a bigger one, since I just bought equipment for the fish I'm gonna have.....
But thanks!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Yeah, I have been thinking about this but I already have a pretty expensive stand for a 20 high and I don't really have the money to buy a bigger one, since I just bought equipment for the fish I'm gonna have.....
But thanks!

Oh well, no harm done. Good luck man!

 

[Filip]

TY!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

TY!

No problem!