Regular Member britbrit916 Posted January 14, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted January 14, 2015 I have decided that i want to use black sand in my tank but it cost to much to do the hole tank with sand. Iv heard about layering substrates but i don't know how to do it and keep the sand on top from settling under the first substrate. what should i use on the bottom to keep that from happening. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GoldenSpoiledRotten Posted January 14, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted January 14, 2015 How thick did you want the substrate? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member britbrit916 Posted January 14, 2015 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 14, 2015 At least 2 inches and i would like to be able to grow plants. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member preternaturalism Posted January 14, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted January 14, 2015 Big particles will wind up on top almost always. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member britbrit916 Posted January 14, 2015 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 14, 2015 Big particles will wind up on top almost always. So is there no way to keep sand on top? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GoldenSpoiledRotten Posted January 14, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted January 14, 2015 (edited) I would not go over 1 inch, even with plants, but that's my preference. Extreme depths aren't required to grow plants. My tank last (2013) december, with big destructive goldfish, didn't have much uprooting with 1" of planting substrate and the plants did fabulously on top of it. Edited January 14, 2015 by ChelseaM 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Hidr Posted January 14, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted January 14, 2015 Maybe do a dirt layer? It is also good for growing plants. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member britbrit916 Posted January 14, 2015 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 14, 2015 Maybe do a dirt layer? It is also good for growing plants. Iv done the dirt layer before and hated it. little pieces of bark worked there way out and made the tank look messy and its hard to move plants around without causing a mess. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member britbrit916 Posted January 14, 2015 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 14, 2015 I would not go over 1 inch, even with plants, but that's my preference. Extreme depths aren't required to grow plants. My tank last (2013) december, with big destructive goldfish, didn't have much uprooting with 1" of planting substrate and the plants did fabulously on top of it. What do you mean by plants on top of it? Were the plants not actually in the dirt. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member preternaturalism Posted January 14, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted January 14, 2015 Big particles will wind up on top almost always.So is there no way to keep sand on top? Put sand with smaller particles underneath. No good way I have run across. Soil may have some potential. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member GoldenSpoiledRotten Posted January 14, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted January 14, 2015 I would not go over 1 inch, even with plants, but that's my preference. Extreme depths aren't required to grow plants. My tank last (2013) december, with big destructive goldfish, didn't have much uprooting with 1" of planting substrate and the plants did fabulously on top of it. What do you mean by plants on top of it? Were the plants not actually in the dirt. "On top of it" as an expression of "good things on top of good things" 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member 4prettyfish Posted January 14, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted January 14, 2015 It will be nice to see what you come up with. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member britbrit916 Posted January 14, 2015 Author Regular Member Share Posted January 14, 2015 It will be nice to see what you come up with. I think i will just do a 1 inch layer of seachem flourite black sand. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member LittleShadow Posted February 9, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted February 9, 2015 Not really sand, but if you look up Dustin's fishtanks on youtube, I think he uses organic miracle grow in his, and he probably has a video or two on layering. He cusses though, fyi. I've seen a lot of angry youtube comments where people were like "My 2 year old was in the room!" 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member DieselPlower Posted February 9, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted February 9, 2015 What I did was fill a couple decorative glass pie pans and dessert cups with sand. That keeps the sand mostly contained but the fish will spread some of it around. For me, it's the perfect balance of being able to plant in substrate while still enjoying the superior cleanliness of a bare bottom tank. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member troy.telford Posted February 16, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted February 16, 2015 So is there no way to keep sand on top? The only real solution is to have something even finer underneath. It's not a 100% thing though; occasionally small particles percolate up, and big ones sink. I remember reading a paper on the subject when a physicist got sick of his 'mixed' nuts having small peanuts on the bottom, and the big nuts like Brazil nuts and cashews on top. He studied why, and discovered the same rules apply to any aggregate: rocks, gravel, breakfast cereal... Migration cannot be avoided. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member yafashelli Posted February 17, 2015 Regular Member Share Posted February 17, 2015 I agree. Don't layer substrates because the fish will mix what doesn't settle on its own. Pick something you like, and stick with it. Just like the little bits of dirt wound their way up, other substrate bits will also. Have you decided what you will do? I can't wait to see pictures. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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