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Fresh Tanks

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Posted by admin | Posted in Parts And Stuff | Posted on 24-03-2012

Tags: different_types_of_fish, fish, tank, tanks, water

Fresh Tanks

Fresh Tanks
Is there any special sand made for fresh water fish tanks?

My husband is putting together a 75 gallon aqarium. He wants to put sand in it but so far all we can find is sand for salt water tanks. This is his big project so i'm trying to help him out and find things here and there. But so far no luck with the sand. Does anyone know if there is such sand for freshwater tanks. We have tried all the pet stores and he has researched on the net and from books. Please help if u know anything. Thanx

Wow, lots of info, some good some bad and some conflicting.

First I would say that I would suggest you use gravel instead of sand unless you plan on having fish that would directly benefit from sand. Sand is difficult to clean properly once in the tank and can much more easily form pockets of anarobic bacteria that will release harmful gases and other waste into the tank. that said, sand can be a perfectly fine substrate for a freshwater tank as long as you take care to keep it clean.

Not all sand is equal, but most any sand will be fine in your tank. Silicone sand is perfect for a tank and I cannot understand why in the world you would be warned against it. It is very light colored and is very non-reactive which is exactly what you want from sand, non-reactive. As for it not housing your bacteria, it certainly will. First you are warned that sand grow bad bacteria and then told it WON'T grow the good bacteria....geesh. The fact is that nitrifiying bacteria grow on every surface in the tank. The glass, the plants, the silicone sealant, the fish, even free floating in the water. It will grow on silicone sand, pure and simple.

Play sand sold at places like walmart is fine for aquarium use and is usually pretty clean of foreign materials. Sandbasting sand is also safe for aquarium use. Any sand found at home improvement stores will most likely be safe as long as you check it for other materials, like larger stones, roots, leaves etc.

Sand from the beach can certainly be used but you will need to clean it well and wash it several times to remove salt. It does contain more calcium than some other sand but this does not lead to false pH reading. It will add calcium to the water that increases hardness and therefore buffers the pH and prevents it from dropping, but it's not a false reading.

Hope this helps clear the air a bit.

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