Aquarium Sand

Niitro iLLusioN

Niitro iLLusioN

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I was looking into getting sand for my aquarium to make it look nicer as at the moment it is just bare bottomed. Aquarium sand is expensive to buy so I was looking into getting play sand from the local hardware store but I was wondering if it's safe to use? Also by adding sand will it make my tank go through another cycle? The store also sells river sand, would that be better?
 
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This sand is really cool, it sparkles like crazy in the light and if you rinse it a couple times before you put it in the waters clear in minutes. The bag is a pretty good size definitely enough I think for your average sized tank you don't want a thick layer of sand anyways because you could get bacteria build up or something I read under the sand.

Not sure about the play sand though wish I knew more sorry! :(

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As much as that sand may look cool I can't purchase things off amazon because they don't ship to Australia. Thanks anyway though ?
 
I use Richgro play sand. You can get it from hardware stores like Bunnings and magnet mart for around $9. Just make sure you rinse well and sieve it well to get rid of larger pebbles mixed in. It is very fine, safe (once sieved) and nice looking :)
 
That's the sand I was looking at getting, is it hard to clean and does it make the water cloudy? Would you be able to send me a picture of what it looks like in the tank? Thank you! ?
 
It does take a fair bit or rinsing and sieving but most sands will. If rinsed thoroughly it won't cloud the tank too much and it goes away fairly quickly. I will take some pics when I am back at home and post them up :)
 
Ok cool thanks! Also does it do anything to your ph or have any other effects that I should know about?
 
It hasn't affected the ph in my tank at all that I have noticed. It is silica based sand :). I can't think of much else. I quite like it and find it fairly easy to keep clean. Make sure you stir it up regularly though. I stir it up at my weekly water changes. I like how you can see little tracks in the sand left by the axolotls.
 
Ok cool thanks for your help, might go to bunnings tomorrow and pick some up then ?


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Also how would you go by adding the sand to the tank while the axolotl is still in there? Will I have to take him out?


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Personally I would take them out while you do it, start with just the sand and then when you go to add water throw a cup or dish in there first then pour the water into that and let it over flow, it'll keep the sand disturbance down to a minimum.


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I actually put the sand in whilst the axies were still in the tank but I did it very slowly and added the sand by scoops away from the axolotls. But it was a slow process as I didn't want to stress them out. It is probably best to remove them to add the sand. You actually could do it without removing much water. This sand I found settled very quickly. I was very gentle when scooping the sand in to minimise disturbance but it didn't take long for it to settle at all.

Here are a couple of photos. I could not get the whole tank as the light coming in nearby windows was shining reflections on the tank and I had to take close ups.
 

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For some reason only one made it up. Here is the other photo:)
 

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That looks good! I'll probably take him out for a little bit while I put the sand in, thanks for you help ?


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Cleaning isn't hard with sand, you just hoover the siphon on top of the sand, and most of it will stay in the tank
 
Thanks :) I really like the sand. I did have bare bottom briefly but did not like it much despite the ease of cleaning it. I find the sand can make water changes more time consuming but I think it is worth it. I stir it up and let it settle, then as Aaron said, siphon just above the sand to suck up dirt and debris on the sand without taking too much of the sand. I actually think my axolotls like the sand more than the bare glass :)
 
Ok cool ? Well let's hope it turns out well as I just went to bunnings and got the sand, now for the cleaning! I'll keep you posted and might send some photos when I'm done ?


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Just added sand to the aquarium and the water is cloudy, how long will it take to settle and can I add my axie to the tank whilst it's cloudy?


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It should settle down maybe in couple of hours but could be longer depending on how well it was rinsed.Your filter should help clear it up too. But it shouldn't harm your axolotl so you could add your axie in when you like even if it is a little cloudy. How cloudy is it?
 
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