DISCUS SAND

[discusjoe27]

I forgot the name of it, what is it called? I want to use it in my tank once my discus get a little bit bigger.

[kenhappen2u]

silica sand .....AKA pool filter sand . there is no reason you can use sand now with them being smaller ,, just use a light colored ( as close to white as you can get ) and vacume it often and you should be ok , although BB tanks are much easyer to keep clean when they are small and your feeding them more often and doing more water changes ,

[discusjoe27]

so I can go to "any pool" store and ask for pool filter stand. would a fish(aquarium) store carry it(just wondering because I have a friend who owns a fish store that just opened up

[Eddie]

Most hardware stores carry it.

http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com...31.html?ref=42

Eddie

[discusjoe27]

how many pounds would I need(84Lx16W)

[Apistomaster]

how many pounds would I need(84Lx16W)

Rough guide:
Calculate the volume of sand you plan to use in cu inches.
Divide by 231 to get the volume in gallons.
Multiply the weight of the displaced water, 8.34 lbs/gal by the specific gravity(unit weight of sand relative to unit weight of water) of the sand(use 2.65)
That will give you the number of pounds of sand it will take to fill with sand to the thickness you used in your calculation..

[discusjoe27]

Rough guide:
Calculate the volume of sand you plan to use in cu inches.
Divide by 231 to get the volume in gallons.
Multiply the weight of the displaced water, 8.34 lbs/gal by the specific gravity(unit weight of sand relative to unit weight of water) of the sand(use 2.65)
That will give you the number of pounds of sand it will take to fill with sand to the thickness you used in your calculation..

wow,

[TankWatcher]

here's a substrate calculator that might help http://www.plantedtank.net/substratecalculator.html

[discusjoe27]

here's a substrate calculator that might help http://www.plantedtank.net/substratecalculator.html

THANKS!, can pool sand still be used if I wanted to use it with some wild caught discus?

[TankWatcher]

IMO, silica pool filter sand is perfect for wild caught discus. It's what mine are in. Be sure to show us pictures when you get this set up. I love looking at the wild caught's

[tcyiu]

I've been on the hunt for sand for the last several months. Here are some things I learned: (Note that the prices are for my area in Bay Area in Northern California. But the relative amounts may apply to yours)

- 50lb of sand from a hardware store is priced around $6. Make sure you look for prescreened and NOT play sand. Prescreened sand will have more uniform size and therefore less dust.
- 50lb of filter sand from a pool supplies store is priced around $10. These will be similar to prescreened sand from a hardware store. The store employee says the sand will still need to be washed for dust.
- 20lb of Carib Sea sand from a fish store is priced around $30.*

I finally ended up with 3M Colorquartz (white). This cost me $40 for 40lbs.

* NOTE that CaribSea may not be appropriate for discus. You'll need to check for how CaribSea affects water hardness.

Tim

[discusjoe27]

I've been on the hunt for sand for the last several months. Here are some things I learned: (Note that the prices are for my area in Bay Area in Northern California. But the relative amounts may apply to yours)

- 50lb of sand from a hardware store is priced around $6. Make sure you look for prescreened and NOT play sand. Prescreened sand will have more uniform size and therefore less dust.
- 50lb of filter sand from a pool supplies store is priced around $10. These will be similar to prescreened sand from a hardware store. The store employee says the sand will still need to be washed for dust.
- 20lb of Carib Sea sand from a fish store is priced around $30.*

I finally ended up with 3M Colorquartz (white). This cost me $40 for 40lbs.

* NOTE that CaribSea may not be appropriate for discus. You'll need to check for how CaribSea affects water hardness.

Tim

thanks tim, so I need to go to a hardware store,like home depot or lowes and ask for silica prescreened sand?

[discusjoe27]

is this what I should get?
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...Search#reviews

or would sand blasting sand work from a tractor supply store?

[discusjoe27]

ok, now I'm confused because I was talking to a guy who has german discus at his pet store in the white rock lake area of texas, and he said the carbon doesn't hurt the fish or anything and that I should of just needed it out, and that I shouldn't use pool filter stand because it is stager, and that I should of left the gravel in there.

SO, I did all that for nothing, what should I do?

[Apistomaster]

Pool filter silica sand is a preferred substrate for a wild Discus tank.
Gravel is not the right choice regardless of what your fish shop guy thinks.
Discus are never found living over gravel in the wild. They spend much time sifting the sand for edible bits in the detritus which requires them to be able to puff the sand to expose the small bits of food and they need fine enough sand for them to sift through it. Gravel tends to collect more dirt and doesn't allow wild discus to feed in the way that is natural for them.
Almost half of what wild discus eat is detritus they find in sand.