[APD] sand

[RMGTBTS at aol_com]

yes sand does not interact with H2O. Would not be a lot of beaches.
 
The product sold to me as"pool sand was sold by humans and bagged by  
humans and handled by yup, humans, and may not be in its pristine and  perfectly 
inert.state, having picked up some contamination at some  point. 
 
when i put the substrate into the tank originally, the water cleared with  
very little effort.  Easily the cleanest substrate material i had ever  
worked with.
 
i suspect that the pool sand was contaminated with something.  
 
all i can say for sure is that after a period of 6 months in the bottom of  
my tank with CO2, water changes and very soft water, that SOMETHING is 
clouding  the water, slightly so but i have had others view the tanks and when 
brought to  their attention verified that the tank was "less clear" than the 
other  tanks.
 
My filter maintenance (eheims on all the big tanks) is consistant with my  
other tanks and all are similar with the exception of the substrates.  
 
Perhaps it is this one manufacturer, processing plant, whatever.
 
But the tank was EMPTY when i added the substrate and all of the plants,  
driftwood and rock had been in other tanks here in Milton for several  years.
 
go figure
 
But IMHO the substrate, unless using the Dianne Walstead Methodm is the  
single most UNIMPORTANT component of a planted tank.  If whatever is used  is 
pleasing to the eye of the aquarist, then THAT is what should be used. 
 
I have seen a 60 gallon tank that had 3/4 inch of pea gravel harvested from 
 a stream near the aquarist's family home.  The gravel was totally inert 
and  the aquarist grew anything she wanted to in her tank!  
 
If it looks the way YOU want it to, then that's what you should use. 
 
rich green
milton ma
_______________________________________________
Aquatic-Plants mailing list
Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
http://mailman.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants