Aquarium sand: best options and preparation

An aquarium is an artificial ecosystem in which one of the main places belongs to the ground. High quality sand plays an important role in the life of all organisms living and growing in it. The choice of this component of the ecosystem should be considered with particular exactingnessto ensure the natural filtration of the aquarium, and microorganisms, plants and animals - a place for shelter and habitat.

Sandy substrate has become widespread in aquariums due to its ease of maintenance and availability. The simplest creatures found their habitat in it. The advantages of sandy soil include the following characteristics:

• good survival rate of aquarium plants;
• normal growth of green spaces;
• ease of cleaning the sandy bottom;
• fulfillment of all assigned biological tasks;
• an ideal option for a mass of benthic creatures who cannot imagine their life without digging a light substrate;
• naturalness and attractiveness of appearance.

Aquarium sand has not only advantages, but also some disadvantages:

• to rinse and carry out preparation, you need to carry out more than one laborious procedure;
• this type of soil requires special care, otherwise the accumulation of debris may occur;
• some types of sand can change the chemical composition of water;
• this type of substrate contains a small amount of nutrients, which are not always enough for plant growth, so from time to time you will need to make additional fertilizing.

Today, aquarium owners can choose from one of the types of sand. depending on its characteristics.

• River... This aquarium substrate has been in use for a long time. According to some experts, this species is considered one of the best. River sand can not only be bought in a specialized store, but also collected with your own hands on the river bank, and then sieved.

• Nautical. For an artificial freshwater ecosystem, coarse sand collected from the seabed would be a worthy option. Before sending it to the aquarium, the substrate should be well rinsed and sieved, thereby eliminating salt and other impurities. Plants and organisms grow and reproduce beautifully on an ordinary substrate from the sea at the bottom of the aquarium. It is recommended to place "live" sand in the marine aquarium. This type of substrate may contain colonies of microorganisms from the sea.

• Coral... Aragonite substrate is obtained by the deposition of small remains of coral, mollusc. This sand contains a large amount of calcium, which increases the water hardness. Coral chips can be bought in different fractions, starting from the finest. The best option for its application would be the sea and pseudo-sea bottom, as well as an alkaline artificial ecosystem.

• White. Aquarium owners can decorate the tank with either white or colored sand. Since this substrate can be of different origins, it has different effects on the state of water in the ecosystem. White sand can be river, sea, aragonite, quartz. Before using the substrate, you should carefully read the rules for its use.

• Black quartz. Due to the presence in the sand of ilmenite, magnetite, hematite in different percentages, the sand acquires a black color.

• Color... Colored sand can be used to decorate the interior of the aquarium in an original way. With its help, pets can get bright and unusual landscapes in the tank. Before purchasing colored sand, you should carefully study its features, thereby making sure that it is harmless to the inhabitants of the ecosystem. The shades of such a substrate can be very different; blue, red, marble, pomegranate, yellow, brown and purple are very popular.

In order to start a new aquarium and get it working properly, it must have a good quality substrate. When choosing sand, it is worth taking into account its fraction, origin and layer thickness.

Characteristics of sand to consider when choosing a substrate for your aquarium.

1. Fraction. You should not choose microscopic sand or with too large a fraction. The optimal size is considered to be 1, 5-2 millimeters. Provided that there are fewer grains of sand, there is a deterioration in aeration, stagnation and the development of bacteria. If the pebbles are too large, then organic matter is poorly washed out of it, and the vegetation does not take root well.
2. Sand layer thickness ideally should be between 4 and 6 millimeters. This indicator contributes to the growth and development of living things and plants in an artificial ecosystem.
3. The type of sand. It is worth remembering that red and yellow sand contains a large amount of iron. Limestone chips can disturb the rigidity of the water balance, which can be detrimental to aquatic organisms.

Before placing it in the aquarium, it is worth treating each of its elements. In order to exclude the presence of harmful microorganisms, it is worth carrying out certain procedures.

• Rinse mixtures and products under running water. In this case, the sand is poured into a container and washed under a not too intense stream. In this case, it must be mixed by hand. The substrate is freed from foreign matter.
• The sand must be thermally treated immediately after the completion of the first stage of cleaning. The substrate is boiled for 25 minutes.
• The sand can be calcined in the oven at a temperature of 150 degrees for 30 minutes.
• To remove excess phosphate, you can treat the substrate with a 30% citric acid solution, and then rinse with running water.

You can pour the disinfected sand into the aquarium using a plastic spatula. At the bottom of the ecosystem, you can lay a peat layer in combination with nutrients. Sand should be poured into an aquarium in which there is no water, while making a slope to the front side. First of all, it is worth placing the coarse sand, after which the finer one. The thickness of the front sand layer can be 20 millimeters, and the back 80 millimeters.

It's no secret that fish waste is toxic, it pollutes the water and the substrate, so it should be disposed of regularly. After starting the aquarium, it may take 30 days until the first cleaning. The following cleansing procedures can be performed at intervals of one to two months. If the water darkens and cloudiness appears, do not panic and clean the aquarium every day.

All the sediment that is in the aquarium can be removed with the help of a complete purification, then it will already be necessary to remove the fish and plants for a while and place them in another container. In this case, the sand is washed under running water. Such procedures should be performed every year. They clean sand in artificial ecosystems using conventional siphons. Use a funnel to loosen the substrate so that the dirt is sucked into the tube.

You will learn how to care for fine sand in an aquarium in the following video.