Sand Substrate

[leslie123]

I'm setting up an aquarium for discus fish. I'm considering using sand for the substrate.

I've had aquariums for the last 20 years, but they've all had undergravel filters. Based on Degen's book "The Proper Care of Discus", I'm considering using sand instead (no undergravel filter). I'll use an external power or canister filter. (Degan recommends against UG filters for discus, saying they're bottom feeders and the UG filter sucks all the food into the gravel where it decomposes and since water quality is so important with discus fish, he says it's better not to use UG.)

What sort of sand should I use? I didn't see any at the petstore. "Play sand" from Home Depot? Blasting sand? - but that might be sharp? Is play sand clean ... I suppose I'll have to rinse & rinse & rinse.

Any suggestions?

(Will be a 90 gallon aquarium, heavily planted. Ph is <6.0, very soft water straight from my well. I'll let it cycle for several months before introducing the discus fish.)

Thanks!
Leslie

 

[Lateral Line]

I use swimming pool filter sand. It has a more consistent grain size and shape and therefore doesn't pack down as hard as other sand types. It is also easier to keep it open.

 

[Brachydanio]

Play sand is very good and looks great as well.
You may come accross it labled as silver sand.
Let us have some pics when done

 

[leslie123]

Did you have any trouble using the sand? If you had to do it again, would you still use sand?

Were you able to get any/all silt out, and does it give your pump any trouble?

I've also heard of putting a layer of clay (plain kitty litter) under the sand for the plants to root into. Did you do that? Was it a good thing? I can imagine myself replacing a plant and making the whole tank a mud-puddle when I dig into that clay.

Thanks again!
Leslie

 

[Lateral Line]

I haven't used anything other than sand for around 15 years now. I used Silver Sand first, but found it packed down quickly and required a lot of gardening to keep it open and aerobic. The filter sand obviously, still requires a little working over, but nothing like the same amount as other sand types.

>>> If you had to do it again, would you still use sand?

In anything other then a specialist breeding/fry tank, yes.

>>> Were you able to get any/all silt out,

With patience and a lot of washes, you get most of the silt out and your bucket looks crystall clear, you add it to the tank and if you are really careful as you add the water, you'll get a fine haze which settles, filters out after a couple of days. I doubt there is a person born that has enough patience to get it all out before it hits the tank.

>>> does it give your pump any trouble?

Nope. However, I have shortened my extractor tubes so the ends are about 100mm above the substrate. Even before that, I never noticed any trouble - I started shortening the tubes when I read other people had troubles. I think you'd need to be sucking up a lot before it clogged a quality filter. Maybe some of the fiddly designs of top/back/side mounted filters would have bigger problems, they seem to have a lot more moving parts which could conceivably be clogged. I use simple Eheim canisters.

>>> plain kitty litter

If you can get that, it should be okay as a thin layer under the sand. Problem is most "plain kitty litter" contains perfumes and all manner of other crud to make it more attractive. The original "Fullers Earth" is okay.

The thing with trying to set up a layered base is that over a relatively short period, the action of the livestock, the plant roots, your maintenance etc., they will blend together to a greater or lesser extent. I always smile when I read of peoples plans to use "25mm of laterite under 25mm of fluorite under 25mm of sand", they'll learn!

I make up a slurry of laterite powder and water and pour that over the base of the tank, no more then say 2-3mm. When it is dry, it is pretty hard. I put the required depth of filter sand over it, say 80mm. If I need to seriously uproot a large plant, well, then I'm going to make a mess, but it clears again quite quickly.