Substrate Question

[maryhm]

Got my 180 yesterday (woo-hoo!!). So now with that hurdle out of the way, the next thought I have is substrate. I'm planning on keeping a giant puffer species (hopefully T. pustulatus, but T. lineatus if I have to). I'd like to have some plants. What is the best substrate for me to use? Should I go with gravel or a coarse sand? I want the plants and the fish to be happy, but I'd like cleanup to not be a huge pain either.

[Pufferpunk]

Do a search for Planted Tanks. Lots of great info here.

[xrayjeeper83]

there are a few people here running pool filter sand, and thats my plan in my big tank. Right now Im using playsand in my 55 and I hate it

[maryhm]

Yes, pool filter sand is something I've run across a few times in my research. Do you have to worry about anything that's in the pool sand that would cause algae blooms or would raise the pH? I'm only used to dealing with marine tanks, and there were certain sands we used because they would increase the pH. The water here is already around 7.5ish, so I don't want to raise it any more. Any particular brand?

[J-P]

I have a 50-50 mix pf pool filter sand and black fluorite in my tank. It does well enough and has a stable ph for the fish and depth enough to allow deep rooting plants to flourish. 2" in most places but because of currents in the water some areas are more and some are less.

[maryhm]

J-P,

How do you clean your sand mix substrate? I'm used to using Python vacuums, but could be easily convinced to do something else if it's better.

[J-P]

python ... same way. Just try and keep the colors the same. Mine doesn't look that good now because I have white sand mixed with black. a nice consistent color across the bottom is best.

[maryhm]

Good to know! Thanks so much! Of course, now I have more questions.

Are all pool filter sands the same? Or is there something in particular I need to look for? (composition, particle size, etc...)

From what I've read, the fluorite is good for the plants, so I'm assuming that's why you mixed it in. Does it do anything to the water chemistry?

[RTR]

Flourite is inert, it does not affect the water chemistry. Its value for plants is that it has high CEC (cation exchange coefficient) such that it holds the mineral ions plant use in a manner which makes them readily available to plants.

Plant areas are not full-depth vacuumed as are unplanted tanks - the substrate in planted areas is only lightly surface vacuumed with no real substrate disturbance other than when the plants are being divided or reset.

The giant puffers are not plant-friendly. T. mbu will remove any plant not to its liking or in its way when swimming/turning. Some Fahakas are almost herbivorous or more accurately omnivivorous - they will eat quite a few common aquarium plants. I have no experience with T. pustulatus, so can't say how they behave in planted tanks. Start with the really big plants such as common Crinum or Jungle Val, both being planted in clumps - which both Fahakas and mbu tend to leave mostly alone so long as not in their way. If you have the plants established (weeks) before the fish moves in, you have better luck with the plants. My Fahakas and the mbu all tended to sleep under the overhanging foliage of the Crinums.

HTH

[J-P]

most are the same AFAIK, but I'd still rinse it off.

Keep in mind, the plants you want and what your puffer wants are 2 different things He just may decide to do some re-decorating of his own

I would think of fluorite more of a base / supplement. Perfectly safe for FW tanks.

But, I see RTR beat me too it

[maryhm]

Thanks SO much for all of your help!! I think I've decided to go with a bottom layer of Turface MVP, about 1"-1.5" thick, and cover that with a 1.5"-2" thick layer of pool filter sand. That will give me a 2.5"-3" substrate, which should be good enough to get plants rooted in. A key factor in going with the Turface is that I read a few reports of it lowering the pH, and since my tap water comes out on the high side (sometimes 8.5-9!), a little pH decrease can only be a good thing. Any pros/cons to my current plan? I'm in the process of refinishing my stand, so I won't be buying for a few days.

[J-P]

try it out. If it doesn't work out there are other routes you can take but don't worry about the ph too much. It will balance itself out as long as you are not constantly trying to adjust the other properties.

Playing chemist in a tank can be fun, but only for a while. After that it gets tedious and time consuming. When you stop then you have to alter the tank entirely (or mostly). I'd just work with what you've got.

[maryhm]

Things I do not like include:
Lighting
Filtration
WATER CHEMISTRY

I have never found any of those things to be the least bit intriguing! I'm a livestock girl. Hubby is a filtration/hardware boy.

[Jacks974]

So are there any brands of pool filter sand worth suggesting. I live in the us and prefer tO buy something from not too far away. Ie let's stay in the us to avoid shipping expenses. Or is play sand alright. I ward poolfilter sand is a grade 20. So is play sand from lowes or some home improvement store the same. Mostly I just need a brand. Is Carib sea a finer grade?

[Blaine]

pool filter sand is a uniform grain size...no fine particulate like in playsand. Playsand is a mess to clean and will wreck your filters