Taking the plunge!!!!

[mench]

Ok after keeping discus in bb tanks for about 30 yrs I am going to do something against my better judgment....I am going to set up a 125 gal wild tank.....going to use white pool sand on the bottom,maybe a inch or two,lots of wood..but no real plants,I am not that brave yet....I am going to use artifical plants attached to the wood.
Now for some questions...do I have to prewash the sand before putting it in the tank...what is the best temp, ph for wilds...I don't think I am doing heckels yet,as I remember they like low ph....I am planning on using some sponge filters and maybe a couple of Aquaclear 110's...as for tankmates,I know a lot of folks use corys for clean up..I was just going to use my bristle nose guys,since I raise them and have a ton of them...any other ideas on tankmates? I don't want to have a ton of fish in the tank.
Now for the background..I now have lite blue taped to the outside of the tank..I have read that black is a good color for wilds,so any info is good. as for lites I hm read that GE-9325 and t-5 color max bulbs bring out the colors.
Thats all I can think of for now,any ideas or advice is welcome...I will take pics as I go along

Thanks

mench

[Moon]

Mench
I would wash the pool sand well before putting it in the tank. Also some pool sand have a buffering capacity. I have pool sand in my Heckel tank. I use RO water in this tank. The RO comes out with a ph 7.0 and conductivity 70. I have some peat and Almond leaves in the 50g tank. This brings the ph down to about 4.5. But the conductivity is up to about 200. The only other thing in the tank is a piece of driftwood. So I think it is the sand that is buffering the water.
I would get a small sample of the sand and add some acid to it to make sure. Or else try pure silica sand.

[Harriett]

Mench,
on the pool [silica] sand: It is very clean--there are 2 common particle sizes--one is a powery fine sand and the other is more like medium fine beach sand. The powder sand is problematic as it floats more easily due to granule size. The slightly larger particle size is great--it comes in a whitey white white and also sort of a whitish/buff color which looks great. I use it as my everywhere substrate in non BB tanks. From experience, I figured out it isn't necessary to clean it first, just put it into the tank, fill the tank, run the filter with a prefilter on it for a couple hours and it will be crystal clear--the particles are heavy so they sink. It is a piece of cake to clean with a python as well. Don't suck up more than 50% up the tube and it will all fall back out after churning around and pulling the schmutz out of the substrate. If you decide at any point to stick live plants in there, it is an inert substrate and holds roots very well.
Best regards,
Harriett