# Sand, soil, or some kind of dirt for new aquarium?



## small fry (Oct 14, 2010)

Hello, sorry to start a thread over this topic but I was wondering. I want to set up a (wide) 20 gallon amazon tank this christmas. I want to have the most beneficial terrain I can. I was always wondering how to put sand-looking stuff in your aquarium without just making a giant thick cloud of mess everytime you touch the bottom. (BTW I want to have either albino (bronze) or pygmy corydoras in the tank.)

Any help on how to setup the substrate and/or what types of plants go well with an amazon tank will be appreciated! Thanks!


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## small fry (Oct 14, 2010)

Thick sand? Play sand? Corse sand? Gardening soil? Anybody have any links on the topic?

Any help will be greatly appreciated.


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## amberjade (May 28, 2010)

I have play sand in my tanks (well, 4 of the 6) and I love it! So do my fish. It doesn't stir easily when I vac - just takes a little practice. 

In my cichlid tank (south Americans) I am growing swords, thin val and anubias. My severum loves to eat the swords, so watch that if you want to keep your plants perfect. lol. The fish leave the anubias alone, though. And the val is so fast growing that you don't notice a bit bitten off. 

Lots of driftwood, too.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## small fry (Oct 14, 2010)

Thanks! I set it up with play sand.:-D


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

Check out the guide in my sig. Part two, most specifically.


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## small fry (Oct 14, 2010)

Isn't there some risk to doing your DIY, redchigh?


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

read part 1.

There's a slight risk, but if you poke the substrate with a spoon (BTW, that's something you have to do with sand anyway, whether soil or not.) then the risk is next to none.


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## small fry (Oct 14, 2010)

I have seen your thread before but I am not sure where to find it.

Would you post a link?:-D


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## SinCrisis (Aug 7, 2008)

its in his sig. Redchigh, you might want to see if a moderator will create a sticky thread for you and combine both pt 1 and pt 2 minus all the comments so we have a soil guide like how byron has a plant guide...


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## small fry (Oct 14, 2010)

What? Byron has a substrate guide? What are you suggesting I read? I am not sure what you mean.

I see the link in the sig now. Are you recommending Redchigh's method? I can't tell.


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## SinCrisis (Aug 7, 2008)

No byron has a plant guide, but redchigh has a soil substrate guide. If it can get stickied then people will be able to see it at the top of the list and refer to it easily. Im not recommending any mehtod, the soil method has lots of benefits, but gravel or just sand is much easier.

I said in his sig because its listed there part 1 and part 2 are both there. Part 1 talks about the pros and cons as well as how to prep the soil Part 2 is the actual laying of the substrate.


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

Indeed. Everyone has their preferred method. I prefer soil.

Did you find the links in my sig?


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## small fry (Oct 14, 2010)

Yes I did. I like the pictures.:-D

Redchigh, you prefer useing ramshorn snails? Don't those multiply and infest tanks? Just wondering.

I might have my amazon tank in as soon as this week, I'll keep y'all posted on that. I intend to use redchigh's method of substrate.

Thanks everybody, I'll keep y'all posted.


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## redchigh (Jan 20, 2010)

I have pond, ramshorn, and MTS in every tank I have.

If you don't overfeed, you won't have an outbreak. (I've run a couple of my tanks for years, with snails the whole time.)

The amount of snails will fluctuate... Sometimes more, and sometimes down to about 2 or 3. 
They crawl out of the woodwork when you feed the fish to eat it off of the bottom, but they aren't rampant.

I'd much rather have some snails than dead fish. (from the rotten food that the snails would have eaten.)
If a fish dies in a huge plant, they'll take care of it too. (Not that you should purposely leave a dead fish, but if you miss one.)


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