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Question: Sand.

Sean89

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I currently have 1 inch rocks in my tank but Taco is getting big and im worried she will eat some they are still bigger then her head but im not taking chances! I will be changing them to sand very soon and just had a few questions:-

Is sand recommended?

should i use a certain kind of sand? river sand, beach sand etc?

If she eats the sand will she be able to bring it up?



thanks for your help guys :)
 

The Banana

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Great choice in changing to sand. :happy:

Sand is highly recommended: it is easy to clean, looks great, axolotls can move on it easily... but most of all, will not impact them.

I use washed Sydney sand from Bunnings, I recommend using any fine sand from there, the one often used for children's sandpits. Make sure you rinse, rinse, rinse before use!

Yes, because it is so fine, axolotls can pass sand easily without trouble.

You will also notice your axies footprints in the sand, it's adorable, and a joy to see.

All the best - and remember to post pics!
 

yellowpebble

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yes agreed good choice. I use Sydney sand too without any trouble, 'play sand' or 'aquarium sand' is the best. Avoid any other sand like construction sand because it will more than likely contain harmful chemicals.

The sand will make your water go murky, ever after you scrub it to death... however it should settle in a few days. Make sure you put the rinsed sand down before you put the water in, not after, or you will never get the cloudiness out.

I do not think aquarium sand would have such a big issue with this, however it is more expensive.

i switched from stones too and find my water quality is much better because all the food and poop do not get stuck in it, you just scoop it off the top and the filter does the rest. and the footprints are CUUTE :D
 

Sean89

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great thanks alot for the feedback guys!

One of my problems with rocks was exactly that, cleaning them. I like the concept of simply scooping mess off the top of sand and the footprints just sound cute :). I will be buying some nice sand soon and I will upload some pics to share :).

Will the cloudy water be a problem for the axolotl? should i keep her in another tank in the meantime?

Again, thanks alot for the help :happy:
 

yellowpebble

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no apparently the cloudiness is not a problem for them it just looks bad. Just scrub as much as possible to reduce it before hand.
 

The Banana

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Agreed with YellowPebble... it doesn't seem to be a problem, but if you wanted, you could always just set up another tank, and erm.. fill it once your done, if you know what I mean. ;)
 

krivers0648

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I did a switch to sand at the weekend! I'm concerned about the cloudy water even after settling for over 24 hours it still looks quite bad :s
My axolotls are back in the tank because the temp tank they were in was just a mess.

How do you just scoop the mess off the bottom? I've got my water quite deep and I find they swim around the whole tank and like it alot (not that I have anything to compare it too) I tried a scooping action with a fish net but just spread the sand everywhere and made the cloudyness even worse!!
 

Sean89

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I did a switch to sand at the weekend! I'm concerned about the cloudy water even after settling for over 24 hours it still looks quite bad :s
My axolotls are back in the tank because the temp tank they were in was just a mess.

How do you just scoop the mess off the bottom? I've got my water quite deep and I find they swim around the whole tank and like it alot (not that I have anything to compare it too) I tried a scooping action with a fish net but just spread the sand everywhere and made the cloudyness even worse!!

From what i have read you need to let it settle for a few days. Is your filter correct size for your tank?
 

yellowpebble

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mine did that to to begin with. It never settled. I simply drained off the cloudy water with that hose trick... where you stick one end of a short hose in the tank and suck on the other end to start the flow of water. If the end you sucked on is lower than the end in the tank the flow will continue and empty the tank. you need to be outside or empty it in a bucket of course :D

this way the sand will stay on the bottom and you can refill the tank with the hose. I put mine on the light spry setting and it did not stir up the sand. the water was 95% clearer when i did this. much quicker than letting it settle... and it was so cloudy i doubt it would have ever.
 

The Banana

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Mine took a couple days to settle. It was so cloudy, you like couldn't see an inch into the water! Thought it would never settle, but it did.

Patience, Young Grasshopper.
 

krivers0648

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the filter is the correct size, I think if its not improved by the weekend I'll have to do a chigh water change! Better set up the temp tank again! Thank you!! :D
 

blackdog

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I used caribsea tahitian moon sand and it was never cloudy at all , right from the start.

During cleaning it settles really fast and NEVER clouds up

Good stuff, relatively cheap, readily available in AU online

Search this forum for the link

Despite what you may read regarding suitability of tahitian moon sand, this particular brand (Caribsea) is fresh water and axie safe. Others are not however, so i'd only go with the caribsea stuff

Bren
 

Sean89

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ooooooo rare moon sand! :rofl:


Sounds great blackdog i will have to check it out :) i really want a nice looking sand because im a neat freak haha and i love my axies living in a beautiful tank :)
 

yellowpebble

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I have heard silica sand is great, looks nice and is muck free. Its basically just glass. I don’t know where you would get if from though.
 

swimupstream

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Re: Sand - how to rinse?

'Scuse my ignorance, but I've tried rinsing my sand and I keep losing most of it through the sieve - I don't have anything fine enough!

How do you guys do it??:confused:
 

The Banana

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Re: Sand - how to rinse?

I had a bucket, put some sand in it (works best if it's only a little bit), and pour water into the bucket so it's covered, swish around - then slowly tip out, with your hand as a 'guard' to stop it washing away.

Repeat. Repeat. Repeat!
 

The Banana

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Re: Sand - how to rinse?

Aaahh... The Aquarium Substrate Article.

Whatever its source, sand must be thoroughly washed with clean tap water to remove dust and debris. Play sand often contains a lot of dust, and it is very important to rinse it well before adding it to an aquarium. Sand is best washed outdoors, as it can cause damage to plumbing. The simplest way to wash sand is to place the dry sand in a large plastic container and flush it with water from a garden hose while stirring vigorously until the water runs clear. Once the water is running clear, let it settle for an hour. After it settles, the smallest particles and debris can be siphoned off easily, as these will settle in the top layer. Once the siphoning is completed, the wet sand should be treated with a standard water conditioning treatment to remove any chlorine, chloramine, or metals left from the washing process.
 
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