Sand
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Sand that has mixed sizes (small, powdery grains and coarser, grittier grains) can compact, leading to possible anaerobic spots in the substrate.
Sand that is mostly a single particle size will not compact this way.
In stores in the US are the following sands:
Play Sand. Mixture of particle sizes, not great, but will work. Lots of rinsing.
Pool Filter Sand. Uniform particle size, 20 mesh and 30 mesh are common sizes. I have 30 mesh in several tanks and it works well for planting as well as fish digging and such. A little rinsing, but generally a lot less messy than play sand.
Blasting sand. Similar to pool filter sand. Graded sizes.
Other sand. A masonry store near me sells bagged sand in many grades, and all of it would work. Some is so coarse it might be thought of as extremely fine gravel.
Sand from nature:
From a freshwater habitat I would worry about disease and parasites. In addition to rinsing, I would try to sterilize it.
From a salt water habitat: the diseases and parasites that might pester salt water fish generally cannot attack freshwater fish. Thoroughly rinse it to remove the salt, and this could work.
From a dry place: Rinse it well, but likely no disease or parasite issues.
Here is how to tell what particle sizes are in a sample:
Get a glass jar that has a secure lid and straight sides. Put a piece of tape that you can write on, on the side, vertically. Add the sample. Mark the top of the sample so you know how much there is.
Add water and a drop of dish washing detergent (few to no bubbles)
Shake REALLY well. Set the jar down and get ready to mark on the label how much is in there at different times.:
Couple of seconds: Coarsest sand.
30 seconds: Sand.
2 minutes: Silt.
Longer: Clay.
These (sand, silt, clay) are official soil particle sizes, and relate to aquarium decor this way:
The sand will work. The coarsest particles fall to the bottom almost instantly, the finer sand particles take up to 30 seconds. If your sample has 75% or more particles that fell out of solution in just a couple of seconds this is best.
Silt can cloud the water, but it will clear fairly fast. I would worry if you have fish that will be digging a lot (Loaches, Cats, Cichlids). There are ways of working with it. (Google Diana Walstad for how to do this- it is a heavily planted tank) You might be able to rinse out a small amount of silt, but if your sample is more than 10% silt this is going to get really tedious.
Clay is not good in an aquarium. It will cloud the water whenever the fish or you disturb it, and take days to settle out again. If your sample has any clay (but not more than maybe 5%) you may be able to rinse it out of the sample. Work hard at this to be sure you have done a good job.
Sand that is mostly a single particle size will not compact this way.
In stores in the US are the following sands:
Play Sand. Mixture of particle sizes, not great, but will work. Lots of rinsing.
Pool Filter Sand. Uniform particle size, 20 mesh and 30 mesh are common sizes. I have 30 mesh in several tanks and it works well for planting as well as fish digging and such. A little rinsing, but generally a lot less messy than play sand.
Blasting sand. Similar to pool filter sand. Graded sizes.
Other sand. A masonry store near me sells bagged sand in many grades, and all of it would work. Some is so coarse it might be thought of as extremely fine gravel.
Sand from nature:
From a freshwater habitat I would worry about disease and parasites. In addition to rinsing, I would try to sterilize it.
From a salt water habitat: the diseases and parasites that might pester salt water fish generally cannot attack freshwater fish. Thoroughly rinse it to remove the salt, and this could work.
From a dry place: Rinse it well, but likely no disease or parasite issues.
Here is how to tell what particle sizes are in a sample:
Get a glass jar that has a secure lid and straight sides. Put a piece of tape that you can write on, on the side, vertically. Add the sample. Mark the top of the sample so you know how much there is.
Add water and a drop of dish washing detergent (few to no bubbles)
Shake REALLY well. Set the jar down and get ready to mark on the label how much is in there at different times.:
Couple of seconds: Coarsest sand.
30 seconds: Sand.
2 minutes: Silt.
Longer: Clay.
These (sand, silt, clay) are official soil particle sizes, and relate to aquarium decor this way:
The sand will work. The coarsest particles fall to the bottom almost instantly, the finer sand particles take up to 30 seconds. If your sample has 75% or more particles that fell out of solution in just a couple of seconds this is best.
Silt can cloud the water, but it will clear fairly fast. I would worry if you have fish that will be digging a lot (Loaches, Cats, Cichlids). There are ways of working with it. (Google Diana Walstad for how to do this- it is a heavily planted tank) You might be able to rinse out a small amount of silt, but if your sample is more than 10% silt this is going to get really tedious.
Clay is not good in an aquarium. It will cloud the water whenever the fish or you disturb it, and take days to settle out again. If your sample has any clay (but not more than maybe 5%) you may be able to rinse it out of the sample. Work hard at this to be sure you have done a good job.
38 tanks, 2 ponds over 4000 liters of water to keep clean and fresh.
Happy fish keeping!
Happy fish keeping!
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