play sand as substrate... questions..

[Jlui83]

Ok.. I currently have a 10 gal tank that's been running for about 2 months now Everything thing is GREAT... I have 2 different types of live plants in there.. nothing special. Im using regular gravel rocks that you buy from like Petsmart or something.

Here's what I want to do and where the questions come in.. I want to add some sand on top of the gravel to make it look more interesting.. Not sure how its going to turn out though.... I have some extra Play Sand from Home Depot. Can I use this? Also, I will be getting some Taiwan moss tomorrow as well, I plan on adding some rocks in the middle of my tank and have the moss surround them.

When I clean my tank, I use a vaccum/siphoning method to clean the bottom. Will I run into an issues with the sand if I do this? Also How do I use this method when and if the moss takes over the bottom of my tank (I want it to)... How do I clean the bottom of my tank?

I'm talking about a 10 gal tank with fancy guppies.....

 

[YoFishboy]

Play sand is great, because it must be cleaned to meet certain safety standards for kids to be allowed to play in it. Another choice is sand blasting sand, which is also "screened and cleaned" to meet purity standards related to its industrial usage. The sand blasting sand is more silica based, and has more gravel-like color variation in the grains. I like the #16 size - a little more course. Since sand packs more than gravel, the mung stays closer to the surface. When "sand Vacuuming", you can gently kick up debris a bit by waving your hand just above the surface, then siphoning without pulling up sand.