substrate thoughts?

The forum for puffers that either live or start in brackish biotopes: GSPs, F8s, Ceylons & more.
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Myaj
Tech Team
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Re: substrate thoughts?

Post by Myaj »

I used play sand once and hated it. Very very dirty, and every time you bump it it stirs up more gunk.

Look for a more coarse sand, pool filter sand is often very highly recommended. It doesn't pack down like normal sand does, but fish can still burrow in it, push it around, and it looks nice.
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DRRT
Green Spotted Puffer
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Re: substrate thoughts?

Post by DRRT »

Quartz based sand has a higher tendency for scratching the glass. The beaches on the east coast are mostly quartz, and you have to be careful if you drop your glasses in the sand because they get scratched up. The beaches in/along the pacific and caribbean are calcuim carbonate based.
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mala
Puffer Fry
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Re: substrate thoughts?

Post by mala »

i would steer clear of the reptile sand at all costs. if it's the stuff I'm thinking of, i doubt it would be good for your tank. it's not really even good for reptiles, causes impactions and obstructions that can be deadly if they ingest any of it, and it would probably do the same if your fishies snagged any with a meal that fell on the bottom.
goby1kenobi
Figure 8 Puffer
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Re: substrate thoughts?

Post by goby1kenobi »

I went with "commercial grade" sand for concrete. It's much whiter than the play sand, and is a beautifully uniform size. The play sand had both larger grains and powdery dust.

It looks lovely with the rainbow rock.
tank: saltwater 55g, one 5" GSP named Random (mka Puff)
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