# What is the best sand or gravel for a planted tank...



## laurahmm (Apr 1, 2010)

Hi there, 

Was wondering if anyone had advice on the best substrate for a planted tank with shrimp? I'm setting up my tank and I am partial to sand... but I keep on reading about eco-complete, then ADA etc. There's several types out there and I have no experience on what is best or what the difference is.... I did have a tank with fluorite substrate in the past but I dont want to repeat that horrible experience. I had to clean the substrate for days and days... it was a real pain.. I dont know if it was because I bought inferior fluorite or what... I got it at Big Al's... I am partial to sand...black sand and its going to be for my shrimp tank.... Any advice would be greatly appreciated...Thanks!


Laura


----------



## trailblazer295 (Mar 7, 2010)

If you want black like I did there is no cheap solution for sand. I went with flourite black sand myself, I didn't wash it enough but 2 days with the filters running it finally cleared up. In terms of black I've heard of eco complete, flourite and tahitian moon sand. All of which will cost more then a couple bucks a bag. If you are ok with white or light brown you can go with pool filter sand which is dirt cheap I think $10 for 50lb bag or something.


----------



## laurahmm (Apr 1, 2010)

Thanks for the advice! I don't mind spending the money at all. I just want the best kind of sand. Where did you get your flourite sand? I like the look of the fluorite sand but don't want to be stuck cleaning it for days again.


----------



## trailblazer295 (Mar 7, 2010)

Got mine from big als, it made my water a cloudy colour eventually it cleared up. I should have washed it more, but I had no life or decor in the tank so it wasn't an issue.


----------



## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

trailblazer295 said:


> Got mine from big als, it made my water a cloudy colour eventually it cleared up. I should have washed it more, but I had no life or decor in the tank so it wasn't an issue.


Cloudy is a color ? 

If you cover the substrate in newspaper before you pour the water in you can usually avoid dust.


----------



## trailblazer295 (Mar 7, 2010)

Cloudy as in whiteish grey like a real cloud and it's coloUr


----------



## Zebrapl3co (Mar 29, 2006)

Lol, sorry, I find your post on cleaning flourite kind of funny.
Anyway.
ADA would have been the best for your shrimp tank (provided that they are not the Suliwesi type). But it's next to impossible to get ADA substrate in Canada.
So your best bet would have been either Eco-complete or Flourite.
To clean flourite propertly, you just need to very lightly rinse it, it would work better if you have a strainer to rinse it to get out the dust and dump it into your tank. Cloudyness is unavoidable, but should clear up in a few days. You made the mistake of really washing it. Which would not work because it's basically harden mud. The harder you wash, the more dust breaks from the substrate. That's why it takes you days to wash it. You probably already grounded 5% - 10% of the substrate to dust by then.
I heard good things about eco-complete except that there was a bad batch a while back that did some thing bad to the water chemistry.
Sand, especially white or light colour is a big no for shrimps. It will not bring out the colour of your shrimp. So stick with the dark red flourite or black ones.

*Never pay again for live sex! | Hot girls doing naughty stuff for free! | Chat for free!*


----------



## laurahmm (Apr 1, 2010)

Hmmmmm... so thats why it took me days to clean the fluorite.... and tons and tons of water rinses to no avail.... I remember thinking at the time ..this is the crappiest dirtiest substrate and fuming that the guy at Big Al's told me to buy it but didnt tell me how dirty it was... lol Well now I know why  thanks!


----------



## AquariAM (Jan 28, 2010)

laurahmm said:


> Hmmmmm... so thats why it took me days to clean the fluorite.... and tons and tons of water rinses to no avail.... I remember thinking at the time ..this is the crappiest dirtiest substrate and fuming that the guy at Big Al's told me to buy it but didnt tell me how dirty it was... lol Well now I know why  thanks!


It's supposed to be dirty. That's why it's good for plants. It's a soft clay that breaks up relatively easily. The more you rinse and stir, the more it clouds.


----------



## qualityshrimpz (Dec 15, 2009)

Zebrapl3co said:


> Sand, especially white or light colour is a big no for shrimps. It will not bring out the colour of your shrimp. So stick with the dark red flourite or black ones.


Hmmm i have filter sand in my 20 gal hex tank, i am planning to put cherry shrimps in. Should i switch my substrate from the pool filter sand to something black? The only reason i like the PFS besides the look of it is the fact that all debris stays on top of it and you can easily siphon.


----------

