# Cheap Substrate for a 55 Gallon



## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

Call around to the local industrial supply houses and see what they will charge you for a 100 lb bag of coarse sand/fine gravel. I can get it here for $12-$16 a bag. Add a box of laterlite and you are good to go for under $40.


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

Pooky125 said:


> I'm getting a 55 for christmas, and I'm dirt poot (no pun intended). What are some good cheap substrates? Tank will be setup with ~2.4 wpg, and low maintence. Would prefure a black substrate... TIA


You can pick the color or you can pick the price but you can't pick both. :lol: 

If you can find it, texblast sandblasting media is black and not too costly, otherwise you are spending money for Onix sand or Moon sand to get that color. Chick grit is $5 for a 50 pound bag around here at the feed stores and is mostly white and grey flecks. Laterite is a sub-substrate additive which can be cheap or expensive depending where you are.


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## Pooky125 (Jul 30, 2002)

Laterite runs about 20-25 $ for a 55 oz box out here.


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

You ever hear of mail order?


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## Pooky125 (Jul 30, 2002)

Use it all the time, but with no credit card, paypal account, or checking acount, it makes it REALLY hard to do so.


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## deetle (Oct 27, 2004)

*Cheap substrate*

I read an article years ago about a guy that uses Supersoil and silica grit. It seemed a cheap way to go and I tried it for several years. You get really good plant growth, till the plants become rootbound. This takes several years. You place a 2 1/2" layer of damp SuperSoil in the tank and cover with a 1-2 " layer of Silica sandblasting grit. Pour your water into the tank with a plate on the grit. Once the tank is about half full, plant the plants into the grit. Finish by adding just enough grit to cover any soil you may have exposed and finish filling the tank. The water will be tinted pale brown for a while, but will clear. You will get some bubbling as the lower soil layer decays and the soil will become more compacted. I used this system with diy co2 and home made hood. This approach does have drawbacks such as pulling up soil when removing plants and root compaction, but does offer a low cost way of enjoying a planted tank. This also might be a really good way to grow plants to sell. Of course I do not know how well this would work in locations where you have soft tap water. I live in the desert of Ca and my water is liquid minerals.
D


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## bigpow (May 24, 2004)

Just be cautious if you decide to use the sandblasting grit... especially if you intend to keep bottom feeder fish (catfish, loach, etc)
Some people say the grit will shave off the fish' barbels (ouch!)


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## BOTIA (Dec 23, 2003)

*pool filter sand!*

Cheapest substrate going 50lbs for 9.00. You get it from pool/ spa supply stores. It is large grained pure silica sand that does not need much washing, will not get caught in the water column and does not compact like playsand.
I have also mixed a little tahitian moon sand for a speckled look. But it took a long time to settle. I would next time mix it with seachem onyx sand for some trace supplementation. Here is a pic , I have been pimping it it for awhile since I love so much. Btw loaches LOVE IT, dig in it bury themselves in it etc.
Botia


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## enchanted (Sep 23, 2004)

Actually, the least expensive option is PlaySand available at your local home depot. It costs $2.50 per 50lb bag and you would need 2 bags to do a 55 Gallon.


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## baowow (Oct 15, 2004)

hey not sure if you want flourite..kinna redish..but bigalsonline.com is pretty cheap...i guess cuz my area dont have lfs that sale those...


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## baowow (Oct 15, 2004)

oh forgot i bought 3 bags for almost $50 inlcude shipping. it's 9.99 each bag...i hate the shipping extra charge


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## BOTIA (Dec 23, 2003)

*cheap?*

yes playsand is cheap but it is not very good imho. It compacts too easy creating toxic anerobic pockets. It also needs loads of washing ,gets stirred up to far to easy to get sucked into your favorite expensive filter and burn out the motor. 
My next tank would have seachem onyx blened with pool filter sand.
Regards Botia)




enchanted said:


> Actually, the least expensive option is PlaySand available at your local home depot. It costs $2.50 per 50lb bag and you would need 2 bags to do a 55 Gallon.


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## enchanted (Sep 23, 2004)

I messed around with a small bag of Pool sand and it was no better. If the Playsand is stirring up and clogging a filter that means it wasn't cleaned well enough. As for compacting, after almost a month I haven't had any problems and I stir it where I can every week when I do a water change.


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

I'm wondering if my head is getting flat from pounding it against my monitor. Depending on where you live and where you buy the sand you can get wildly different products. The "play sand" sold at most any BORG type store here in the Portland area is a nasty grey mess with a grain size about that of powdered sugar. Now if I go to Toys R Us I can get "play sand" for a higher price but a much better grain size. But if I really want a good sand I have to go to an industrial supply house and pay around $12-$15 a hundredweight. "Play sand" in one part of the country is different from another part of the country even if it comes in the same bag. That's why I tend to recommend consistent substrates like Flourite, Eco-Complete and the like.


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## enchanted (Sep 23, 2004)

Personally I would love to use Onyx Sand in all my tanks, but......

For the 125 Gallon I just did we are taking about a $142.00 price difference in substrate. $149.50 for Onyx sand and $7.50 for playsand.

I forgot about Playsand being different, should have remembred.  

Playsand is almost always manufactured locally, i.e. within usually a 500 mile radius of the store. The stuff I purchased here in Boise was out of Emmett, ID. I'm guessing the stuff in Portland is out of the Euguene/SpringField area.


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## Rex Grigg (Dec 10, 2002)

Most of the local sand here in Portland is coming from the Portland/Vancouver area. A lot of it is river bottom sand from the Willamette or Columbia river. Some of it comes from the Longview area and has a high amount of volcano ash in it from the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helen's.

In general they are not going to move that sand or rock one more mile than required. The difference is places like Toys R Us that sell it at a premium.


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