# Decision to "sand" but what else?



## Stroshow (Apr 3, 2011)

First off this forum is pretty sweet and I've spent way too much time on here reading, like most I'm sure. I'm a student who just picked up a 90 gallon because I need to get back into this. 
Lighting: 4 48' T5HO
Filtration: 2 Enheims 
Pressurized Co2: yep
Will be macro and micro dosing
Substrate: Filter Sand plus ?
I will be picking up a lot of driftwood from the ocean and boiling it. I plan on planting a lot on the wood but also would like to have some kind of carpeting plant ie. HC. What I need to ask the collective genius of APC is, what else do I need to add to sand or will I be alright with what I have plus root tabs? 
I greatly appreciate it.


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## davemonkey (Mar 29, 2008)

Welcome to APC!!!!!

Sand is a perfectly fine substrate. It is inert, so you have to pay attention to nutrition needs of the plants (and your root tabs will help with that, as well as the ferts you will be dosing). You'll just want to be careful about depth, as sand is very dense and can go foul if it is too deep (no more than 3" in my opinion).


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## Stroshow (Apr 3, 2011)

Awesome, thanks. That's what ill do. Should be very sweet.


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## Treetom (Jan 23, 2011)

I have play sand and kitty litter in my 10gal shrimp tank, ( Play sand is on the left 2/3's and litter is on right 1/3 ). The sand is very nice and the kitty litter compliments it well. I have topsoil kitty litter mix below the sand. I just use my tweezers every once in a while to stir it up a bit to get some of the debris out of it. I also thought I had way to deep after filling with water, but over past month it has settled out and is about where I wanted it.


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