substrate question
 

I see you all are saying sand is bad. If that is true then I have a
problem! Hubby helped me set my tank up and put in about 2-3" of the silica
sand he uses in his reef tank. Now I have a fish and some plants living in
it. I mixed my rocks in with the sand before he put it in there because I
really liked my rocks, so the sand is broken up a lot. But what do I do
now??!! Should I take it out, leave it alone, or just cross my fingers?
All the plants I have are growing really well and don't seem to be suffering
any. My banana plant puts out about 1 new leaf a week. Now you all have me
paranoid about vacuuming the top of my sand or even planting another
plant!!!!!!!

substrate question
 

I see you all are saying sand is bad.

Sand is not necessarily bad in a planted tank.

Hubby helped me set my tank up and put in about 2-3" of the silica
sand he uses in his reef tank

As long as it's silica sand, and not the kind that raises pH and water
hardness. (That's good for sal****er tanks, but not freshwater.)

A lot of people use sand in planted tanks. Plants prefer a fine substrate like
sand. Plant the tank heavily, and the plant roots will keep the substrate
aerated enough to prevent it from going bad. There should be no need to vacuum
the sand, as long as you plant heavily, and the plants are growing well.


Leigh

http://www.fortunecity.com/lavender/halloween/881/