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Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

Substrate Sand

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06 May 2016 12:10 #1 by DK1981 (Diarmuid Kelly)
Hi folks,

I have ordered a new 240 Litre tank.

I am looking to use sand as my substrate.

I am googling different things regarding best to use and most cost efficient etc

Playsand, Pool filter sand etc and i am lost and overloaded with info as to the different types.

Can anybody reccomend any particular sands that can be bought in dublin area?

I realise this topic may also have been discussed to death already so maybe somebody could point me towards the previosu threads or a good online resource.

Thank you

diarmuid

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06 May 2016 14:53 - 06 May 2016 20:10 #2 by JohnH (John)
Replied by JohnH (John) on topic Substrate Sand
Diarmuid,
If you click on the 'search' tab (above, not the one on the left) it opens up an amount of search options where you can type in keywords for what you'd like to search for - hopefully that will help you.

John

Location:
N. Tipp

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl - year after year.


ITFS member.



It's a long way to Tipperary.
Last edit: 06 May 2016 20:10 by JohnH (John). Reason: omission

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07 May 2016 07:26 #3 by gunnered72 (Eddy Gunnered)
Pool filter sand in Ireland has chemicals in it...Be very wary!

Playsand is too fine and will compact really tight over time... Its a complete pain in the arse to clean...It also gets into filters and causes problems with impellers jamming....

Your best bet is sand specifically designed for aquariums that isnt too fine....Its easier to rinse, looks better and doesnt compact or cause the filter jamming problems...

Seahorse Aquariums in Dublin stock a whole variety of sand types at reasonable prices...

Its also just my opinion but dont go for one of the crazy coloured sands....Plain old gold sand looks the most natural...But thats just me!

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07 May 2016 08:30 #4 by robert (robert carter)
I looked at putting sand into my new 470 ltr coldwater tank and after a bit of research decided against it and have gone for a 3mil gravel called red devil from seahorse ,it is a natural looking gravel with a slight red hue to it .but that's just my thoughts ,everyone to there own . there will be small koi going into my tank ,these fish dig so I didn't want cloudy water and sand getting into the filter/ pumps

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07 May 2016 10:42 #5 by LemonJelly (Johnny Cowley)
My advice would be that if you're getting a fairly fine sand and not growing plants, only use a thin layer; enough to cover the bottom in a centimetre or two of sand. That way there's a fair likelihood that the fish themselves will turn the sand over and stop anaerobic spots.

"The only thing that burns in Hell is the part of you that won't let go of your life; your memories, your attachments. They burn them all away. But they're not punishing you.They're freeing your soul."

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07 May 2016 19:08 #6 by nomad (pat murphy)
Replied by nomad (pat murphy) on topic Substrate Sand
I bought sand from seahorse and googled the website which I forget and it stated that this sand has been at a depth of 1 metre approx and it didn't compact down like some others do so no anaerobic problems.I have about 2inches of sand at the back of the tank for plants slanting down to 1.5 inch at the front and have never had any problems when disturbing it pushing plant root tabs down under the plants etc.

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08 May 2016 14:27 #7 by Jonlate (Jon Late)
Replied by Jonlate (Jon Late) on topic Substrate Sand
I have gravel No2 river sand 0-2mm in size brought from seahorse. 15kg €25.
I found that one full bag covered my aquarium 118cm long by 45cm wide to a depth of 1.5 - 2 cm deep.
I find it great as the sand is large enough not to get sucked up by the gravel cleaner, yet small enough to look like sand. I even have a few plants growing in it and am very happy with the colour and looks of it.

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08 May 2016 17:43 #8 by nomad (pat murphy)
Replied by nomad (pat murphy) on topic Substrate Sand
aquariumsand.co.uk/ this is the sand I got from seahorse aquariums www.seahorseaquariums.com/Aquarium-Sand-25kg/3211 and some info about it..

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10 May 2016 13:43 - 10 May 2016 13:44 #9 by anthonyd (Anthony Debesne)
You dont need to buy the sand from petshops.
I buy silicate sand who comes in every grain size you want from a landscaping supplier. 7.50 e for 25 kg and it is prewashed already :cool:
Last edit: 10 May 2016 13:44 by anthonyd (Anthony Debesne).

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15 May 2016 17:35 #10 by CG (K Lynch)
Replied by CG (K Lynch) on topic Substrate Sand
Hi,

I used play sand from Smyths for the my 115 litre tank.
It was recommended online. It's very fine sand which suits my corydoras and Rams.
The issue is "cleaning it". I spent the best part of five hours hosing the sand to clear all the dust particles. It was long and arduous.
If you're on a budget, it's handy but honestly if I had my time over, I'd pay the extra few euros for sand from a petstore.

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