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Re: Did I goof? - Sand in the tank
>
>Date: Sat, 14 Feb 1998 17:46:43 -0600
>From: "Kudzu" <Kudzu at airnet_net>
>Subject: Did I goof???
>
>I think I have made a big mistake and need some advice quickly. I just set
>up my 60 gallon for plants. Clay with sand over that. In my hurry to get it
>set up I didn't think to wash the sand. This is #3 sand blasting sand
*snip *
>I think I need to pull this mess out and start over. I don't have but two
>plants and no fish in there yet. However a tank full of plants on order and
>due any day. Need some advice pretty quickly. Should I tear in down and
>start over or is there something else I might do?
>
>Jeff <*\\>< (Just call me Sandy)
>
I would recommend starting over, since there is the possiblility of
scratching the glass while maintaining the tank. Anything you do to clean
it up now will most likely be nullified next time you uproot that overzelous
bunch of Rotala.
I used washed sand (at least washed until I tired of washing sand at 30
degrees F outside) as a sealing layer over topsoil and under pea gravel in a
75gal that I set up in mid December '97. Since then I have had fairly
constant green water algae and just plain cloudy water probems, seemingly
starting every time I disturb the substrate. The only thing that has kept
me from starting over is a lack of time. I'll remove the sand and pea
gravel, and use coarser sand (or finer pea gravel... they converge <g>) I
found some coarse, not-to-dusty sand at Home Base for $1.95 for about 50lbs
("bagged Poly Sand - referring to the Poly bag) . Size ranges from (? - its
sand!) to about 2mm in Bellingham, WA. - Probably gathered locally, as I
cant imagine that they'd ship it aroud the countryside for that price.
-Pete, in Bellingham, where it's too dark outside to tell what's brewing