Sand

[ScoobyDuu24]

Hello Everyone!

I want to switch from CC to sand, what is the best place to find some. Everytime I go to the fish bowl they only have one or two bags, not nearly enough for my 125. I tried looking around for that mythical southdown but it is nowhere to be found. Thanks!!

 

[Gordonious]

That pet place will probably have enough but I would call before I made the trip to make sure they had enough of the particular type you picked out. I like Fiji Pink, but that stuff is a bit expensive. I need to make a trip up there soon as well.

 

[wds21921]

Scooby the Southdown that was around here for a while at Home Depot was bagged as simply "Play Sand". The bag was clear, red and blue if I remember correctly. I had no luck with it as everything went haywire at one point so I gave it up but Ken and a couple others seem to prefer it, via plenum chamber.

 

[kaptken]

Oh no. You don't use southdown for a plenum sand bed. its much too fine. plenums require a grain size of 2-4 mm. Southdown is no longer for sale anywhere. but a lot of people have just used kolorscape playsand from Kmart. its white, it's silica based. so it doesn't provide any buffer. but many still use it for deep sand beds to denitrate. or just a shallow decorative sand bed .

you can check out all the blogs on using silica sand. lots of opinions. but it still seems to work.

 

[ScoobyDuu24]

Not to sound like a newbie but what is a plenum sand bed??

 

[Gordonious]

Some people, Ken included, believe that life in the sand bed benefits from an open area under the sand. This is often accomplished by placing egg crate with screen over top of it at the bottom. There are lots of plans for DIYS plenums and you can even buy them premade I believe. The experts seem to be divided as far as there use. I personally don't have any deep sand beds, so I don't have any. I'm undecided as well as far as there usefulness.