# Sand As A Substrate?



## PzykoSkillz (Jul 5, 2010)

I love the way sand looks, but after reading, it doesn't seem like it would be too good of a substrate. Is their any way that I could just mix some sort of good substrate w/ the sand in the tank? It's a 150 so it's a lot of sand and would really be a pain to take it out. Especially since I can't really drain the tank to do so b/c I have quite a few large fish in there w/ nowhere else to put them.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Sand is fine for a substrate, but you can certainly add to it if you're after a more porous material or something with a high cation exchange capacity to hold onto the nutrients better.

You should probably aim for 2-4" or so of substrate, sloping downward from back to front. You can get some good plant substrates that you like (Flourite, Eco-Complete, ADA Aquasoil, Soil Master Select, etc... ) and pour them into your tank after a light rinsing, and then mix as you please. However, with ADA, I'd recommend against that method, as you'd be releasing some serious ammonia into the water column for a couple weeks.

-Dave


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 5, 2010)

Thanks again Dave. So I should definitely rinse them and slowly pour them in the tank to avoid making it too cloudy? Thanks about the ADA warning also. 2-4"? How much youthink I'd need for a 150g? Or does it say how much it covers on the substrate?


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## Crispino Ramos (Mar 21, 2008)

You could also use terracota pots with organic substrate buried halfway in the sand.


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 5, 2010)

Crispino Ramos said:


> You could also use terracota pots with organic substrate buried halfway in the sand.


How do I do that? I think I know what you mean, but wanna make sure.


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## Crispino Ramos (Mar 21, 2008)

PzykoSkillz said:


> How do I do that? I think I know what you mean, but wanna make sure.


Go to Walmart, buy a clay pot size 6 to 10 inches wide and 4 to 6 inches tall. Fill it with AquaSoil or Eco-Complete, slowly/gently lower it down inside the tank without disturbing the substrate in the pot, bury the pot as deep as you want in the sand, now you're ready to plant. 

When you plant stems, cut them short (about 4 to 6 inches) and bury the stem oblique to prevent it from floating.


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 5, 2010)

Thanks again, Crispino. So I can set the pot upright or on it's side? I'm assuming that I should start planting the plants in the pot?


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

PzykoSkillz said:


> Thanks again, Crispino. So I can set the pot upright or on it's side? I'm assuming that I should start planting the plants in the pot?


Upright (with the plant substrate in it), and yes, plant into the pots. The goal with that would be to have the appearance of sand, with a pot buried/hidden in the sand. The pot is filled with a good plant media and you would restrict planting to the pot-areas. (I think...at least that's how I understand it...maybe...  )


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## joshvito (Apr 6, 2009)

PzykoSkillz said:


> 2-4"? How much youthink I'd need for a 150g?


If you want to estimate the amount of substrate you need by the dimensions of your tank, Seachem has a nifty substrate calculator. You just need to convert their "bag" units to "lbs".

http://www.seachem.com/Products/product_pages/FlouriteBlackSand.html


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## Crispino Ramos (Mar 21, 2008)

PzykoSkillz said:


> Thanks again, Crispino. So I can set the pot upright or on it's side? I'm assuming that I should start planting the plants in the pot?


davemonkey is right. plant right away once the pot is in the tank. place a small stone or screen over the clay pot's drainage hole to prevent the substrate from escaping through the hole.


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## Crispino Ramos (Mar 21, 2008)

PzykoSkillz said:


> Thanks again, Crispino. So I can set the pot upright or on it's side? I'm assuming that I should start planting the plants in the pot?


davemonkey is right, once the pot has been lowered inside the tank, you can plant right away. Note: place a small rock or screen over the drainage hole of the clay pot before you pour the substrate inside the pot. Covering the drainage hole will prevent the substrate from pouring out of the drainage hole.


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## PzykoSkillz (Jul 5, 2010)

Dave, thanks again for the help. I'm going to use the flower pot that I already have and try it. Are their any good "creeping" plants that would grow out and over the flower pot?

Josh, thanks for that link.

Crispino, thanks for that. I probably would've forgotten to cover the draining hole up, lol.


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## defiesexistence (Jun 23, 2010)

I've got Este's UltraReef Marine sand, it's inert, and supposedly pre-rinsed. Rinse it anyway. Use a pillow case and pour all the sand into it, then run water through it for at least 7 minutes. It's a wee bit pricey for your 150g though. Don't use white, and _don't_ mix colors. I found mine at Pet Supplies Plus. It's a nice heavy, coarser sand, so you can siphon it. It'll sink straight down. I've never had it clog my powerhead. I think you can buy bags larger than the 5 pounders I got. But, no complaints (spare I only found it in blue, black, and white). Otherwise, I hear CaribSea is good too. Never tried it, but it seems promising. It's less expensive, and in larger bags, if memory serves me well, which it hardly does. Good luck with that 150! I want to see pics when it's done!

Oh, and you can use any aquatic moss for the creeping. It'll hold on terracotta.


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