# Sand Substrate in Demasoni and Lab tank



## Rocco10 (May 11, 2013)

Hey guys,

Can anyone recommend a good sand substrate for a 55 gallon mbuna tank with texas holey rock. I appreciate the help. :fish:


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## fishmeat (May 5, 2012)

Pool filter sand :thumb:


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

^that. It's cheap, easy to find, and you can get a lot of it at once.


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## q8vw (Mar 12, 2013)

fishmeat said:


> Pool filter sand :thumb:


+1 :thumb:

-Cheap
-Easy to clean


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## ozman (Sep 7, 2012)

i had coral sand in my last tank that worked well, my mbuna loved it. but it is expensive.
now that so many people have tried, tested, and proved pool filter sand i will defineatly be going that way too. as said, cheap


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## Rocco10 (May 11, 2013)

Does the pool filter sand come in different colors? Wondering what color would look good with texas holey rock.


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## upperwest (May 11, 2013)

fishmeat said:


> Pool filter sand :thumb:


Does the pool filter sand aid in keeping the ph high or should the sand be supplemented with some aragonites, etc?


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

For the most part, it's inert and won't alter the water chemistry. 
Due to the high frequency of water changes, aragonite or coral don't have much of an effect either. Your best bet for buffering would be to test your KH and GH levels to determine if you need to buffer at all.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Pool filter sand is usually sand-colored. Since it is sold for pool filters and not tank decor I have not found color options to be readily available.

That said, a natural sand color works with anything and often the fish color up best over a light colored substrate anyway.


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## q8vw (Mar 12, 2013)

I live in Kuwait (Persian Gulf), and when i went to the Pools Supply shop, he showed me two types with two different in color, 1st is Made in Saudi Arabia (from Saudi desert) it was very bright, and other was Made in Syria (Syrian Desert) it was more reddish/brown color.


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## qtssima (Jun 13, 2012)

I use aragonite sand in my tank - I started using it when I lived on the west coast and had soft water. It buffered it up to 8.0 from mid 7's. I liked the color as well, and I didn't have to rinse it that much before I put it in the tank.

Do you have a background you are using or are you just painting it black?


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