Question: New substrate advice

[gilbertjelly]

Hi,

Was wondering if someone could tell me what kind of sand to get for my axie tank?
I seen the fine white sand in pictures on this forum
I live in Australia. is it from the pet store or nursery?
What sort of prep do you need to do before putting in tank?
And is the fine sand hard to clean?

Thanks
Karen :happy:

 

[Blaze]

Hi Karen,

The best sand to use is Childrens play sand from Bunnings. It comes in a 20kg bag.
Put how much you need (2cm layer along the bottom. Just use a rough measurment) and put it into a bucket. Take it outside and blast it with a hose. wait around 5 seconds for it to settle, then gently pour out the water onto the grass. Do this until the water comes out completely clear. I did it 20 or so times.

To clean the tank, just use a gravel siphon and hover above the sand. It will pick up any bits and pieces on top of the tank and leave the sand below.


Goodluck.
Blaze

 

[gilbertjelly]

Hi Blaze,

Thanks for your info.
I was in Bunnings yesterday and was looking at some sand
They had some prewashed sand but obviously will still need to washed more
I'll give it a try
I use a gravel siphon now but thought it may suck up some of the sand

Thanks again
Karen :happy:

 

[Azhael]

You don´t need to syphon out the sand, so that´s not a problem. Sand is a very good substrate cause it doesn´t trap dirt. That means that you can very easily remove it from the surface with a turkey baster. Syphoning will result in small quantities of sand being sucked up, so in the long run it will need to be replaced.
When using sand it´s very important to not lay a layer thicker than an inch. That prevents formation of anaerobic pockets. Also, moving the sand around periodically every few months is a good idea.

 

[gilbertjelly]

Hi Azhael,

Thanks for your info
I will get some sand soon
I'm learning all the time from this website

Thanks
Karen :happy: