Tropical Play Sand sucks so far...

mujtba

mujtba

Member
ok my tanks 6 weeks old. it seems that EACH time my fish swims by the sandbed or nips it, it stirs up the sand and the Tropical Play Sand is sooooooooooooooooooooooooo powdery that my peppermint shrimp EVEN STIRS IT UP!!!!!

so far i hate this sand and I see why it says NOT FOR AQUARIUM USE on the bag... sigh
i know you guys say its real good sand, but as of now, my tank looks like skim milk and i have fish in it now. so if it takes 3 months for my sand to become heavy and good, by then all my fish will have passed away..
so my question is this, can I add arogonite sand on top of my sandbed??? or is there another GOOOD sand which I can add that isn't powder like???
also, is 130lbs of LR to heavy for my tank with like 130lbs of sand and then the water????!???!???:notsure: i dont want the tank to break...
:help:
 
foulbrew

foulbrew

Member
I couldn't agree with you more on the tropical play sand, unfortunately adding the other sand won't help much. It's probably best to let it settle a bit, after a while (months) it will become less of a bother. I've used several kinds over the years and I recommend silica sand blasting sand now. Its sharper than the rest but I get more life in it longterm than I do in my tank with the southdown (and yes I maintain both beds, thankyou).
The rock does't weigh much more than the water it displaces, no worries there. Goodluck.
 
mujtba

mujtba

Member
how could adding more (different sand) on top not help??:notsure:
isnt aragonite sand heavier??? it would cover my whole top of the sandbed... it would cause less stir when the fish swim on it..
am i wrong???? bang guy??? anyone knows???
maybe another better sand out there i can add on top???
:help:
 
T

tizzo

Guest
Mujtba, Did you cycle it first??? Because if you didn't, that would explain whiy it's not "settled" yet.
 
mujtba

mujtba

Member
yes the tanks cycled.. its about 6 weeks old... all my levels are at zero. i didnt add fish till i was done cycle.
i have algae all over so i got the shrimp.. but thats not the problem im having..
if it takes 3-4 months for the sand to settle, does that mean for 3-4 months i just stare at my LR and get no fish???? if thats the case, then no one should advise on tropical play sand... i was a nooob and so i trusted my experienced colleagues, but you failed to mention what I will expect along with this sand...
i just figured i was getting the same sand thats $90 for $5 at HD.
i dont understand how anyone uses the tropical play sand. its horrible... its literally like milk or something. i can jus look at it long enuf and it will stir up... :eek:
so now i need a solution for the problem... is there no substrate I can add on top to resolve this??
I was told if the fish stir the sand, wait a few days it will settle.. but you see, how do you tell the fish not to swim near the bottom??? :notsure:
 
T

tizzo

Guest

Originally posted by mujtba
.
i just figured i was getting the same sand thats $90 for $5 at HD.

The stuff that's $90, has the beneficial bacteria coated on every individual piece of sand. When you get it from HD, you opt to provide that bacteria by your own means. That bacteria weighs down the sand and keeps it settled. Some cycles take longer than others. Have you added ANY LR or LS to help seed it so that it would cycle a little faster? BUT
Your original question was if you could add anything on top of it... LR will not weigh down your glass to the point that it will break, You can add that for more reasons than just keeping the fish off the bottum.
 
jscarb2

jscarb2

Member
once it is established it will not cloud up. my 2 engineer gobies are 10 inches long and they dig the heck out of it in my 180 and never clouds up. it did in the beginning though. just be patient
 
mujtba

mujtba

Member
i got 90lbs of LR and 30lbs of LS mixed into the playsand..
right now, this seems to be the worst sand on the planet for an aquarium.. i walk by the tank and it seems to stir up.. jeeezzzzz..
so you guys dont think adding another type of sand will solve it??? hmmmm...
im stuck like chuck i guess.. :notsure:
 
T

tizzo

Guest
"stuck like Chuck... I'm gonna use that (my Dad's name's Chuck, hahaha)
Just be patient. It will all go away and you will reep the benefits! I have CC now, and I can't wait for the day that I have the "problems" your having.:D
 
jscarb2

jscarb2

Member
this hobby take tons of time 6 week is nothing the tank is no where near what it will be. i would not add anything else for a why let the tank get it self established. then take it slow to many people rush.it will save you lots of money in the long run.i think we have all been there.i made lots of mistakes in the beginning myself
 
nm reef

nm reef

Active Member
This is not a hobby that provides much in the way of instant gratification. Patience is vital...developing a marine aquarium is a slow procedure and seldom does anything of a positive nature happen quickly.
Numerous hobbyists have used the same type of sand with success. The key is to allow it to become stable...once bacteria flourishs to the point it weighs down the sand your issues with cloudy water will be a thing of the past. In order to make things more pleasing to your eye quicker you might consider some type of mechanical filtration and remove/clean the filter pads on a regular basis.You could have pre-cured the sand...or you can simply wait out the process. As for your fish not making it...stop and consider the effects of natural storms and surges in the oceans. I'm sure things are constantly in turmoil and it seems the species manage just fine. Allow your sand to mature...let it settle on its own...and in the end I'm confident you'll be more than pleased with the end result. Especially if you avoid being in a rush and resist the temptation to panic.
Adding a layer of LS...like a 20 lb bag of Natures Ocean... may help the process...possibly even a cup or two of well established LS from a well matured system...the beneficial bacteria alone may help settle the play sand...it may be worth a shot. But by adding even a bag of LS you'll once again have cloudy water. It may be closer to instant gratification...but the end result will still take time/patience...especially in a 6 week old system that is still trying to become stable and is far from mature.
Then there is always the viable option of removing the sand altogether and going bare bottom...basically there are numerous options and each has iys merits...but each will require careful consideration and patience.
 
mujtba

mujtba

Member
thanks.. i think ill add like 20lbs of aragonite.. hope its not so powdery... it may make the tank a bit cloudy for a few days, but atleast it wont keep gettin stirred up and remaining cloudy...
i think ill remove the livestock and LR and put it in another tank for a few days.. till the main tank clears up..
do you think thats fine? make sense? :notsure:
 
yaksplat

yaksplat

Member
I decided to wash my playsand prior to putting it in the tank. This removed a ton of the dust. I've heard you should leave all that dust in and I've heard that you don't need it. Either way my sandbed is doing great. I have a pair of pistols that like to mix it all up. Every once in a while I'll see a sand fountain from one of them. But it never leads to a cloudy tank.
Jim
 
K

kistheeze

Guest

Originally posted by mujtba
i have algae all over so i got the shrimp
um. Shrimp to clear up algae?
 
latino277

latino277

Member
mujtba - imo I think you should just let the tank be. stop trying to make adjustments. it has to mature! the sand storm will not harm the live stock. so don't worry about it killing your fish. they are fine. the bac. will grow on the sand and this problem will go away but you have to stop messing withing with it. once again this is just my opinion. good luck
 
rossim

rossim

Member
I'd say to leave it alone and wait it out as well. As it was stated above, there is a reason you pay $50-90 for certain sand and $5 for others. The expensive "live" sand already has beneficial bacteria growing on it that weighs it down and keeps it from strirring up in the tank. The problem is, is that it is usually about $50 for a 20 lbs bag. So, if you were to buy 120 lbs, you'd be looking at $600 just for the sand. Buying the playsand helps keep this cost much lower. However, you don't have any of the bacteria that keeps the sand settled. The only thing I would do is get a cup or two of established LS from the LFS or a friend and add that to the tank to help seed the sand. Adding more, heavier, "dead" sand to the tank won't help seed it any quicker.
 
mujtba

mujtba

Member
alright... ill wait it out.. wish there was no such thing as wait.. :sleepy:
hope soon it gets fine.. scattered my LR all over the sand so that the fish dont have room to stir it as much.. hope that helps out..
 
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