acf substrate?

[poppylily]

Hi, done a bit of research and decided sand would be better for my froggies than gravel (I was given them, and this is what they had been kept on for years), however I've looked in local shops so it will have to be bought online, so I can't look and see the size, sharpness etc. Can anyone give a UK link for a sand that they would recommend?

Also, I have never used sand in any of my aquariums. I'm assuming using a gravel cleaner for water changes would just suck up sand? May seem a silly question, but how do you keep it clean?!

Thanks

[elliotulysses]

Hi. I was in your position not too long ago, only I kept a bare-bottom tank as opposed to trying gravel. What I use is caribsea's sunset gold sand. It's fine, but not so fine that it will kill your filters from the frogs kicking it up. You'll want to make sure that you clean it before you put it in the tank. I use a bucket and keep pouring water in until it runs clear, then add it to an empty aquarium. To keep it clean a gravel vacuum should be fine! I have a gravel siphon. You just sort of hover it over the top of what you want to pick up. Some sand might get in there, but it shouldn't be too much. But if you're having issues with it picking up too much in general, try using a turkey baster. I usually use that when I'm not doing my weekly water changes and find it works quite nicely and is a pretty cheap option.
I am not sure if the UK has a petco/petsmart or anything like that, but most places should carry the sand. If not, try to look for it on Amazon. It runs between 14-20 US dollars for enough sand for a 20 gallon tank.

[Gemma]

I second what Elliot said.
In one of my tanks I'm using BD trading sand (Aquarium Sand 25kg). It doesn't look anything like it does in the photo. In person it's very very pale. I've got it in a tank with a 100cm x 40cm base and there's more than enough. If you've never used that website before you'll get 5% off your first order (and free delivery as well, I think).
This sand is very fine and great for ACF substrate but expensive if you have a larger tank: Caribsea Tropical White Sand 9kg
I've also used the sand from Pets at Home - £11 for 8kg, which is more than enough for a 2ft tank, and never had any problems with it.

[maky78]

On a related note, I just bought this sand, in what must be "Moonlight Sand" because it is very very fine, but it doesn't actually say the name on the package from what I can see. Can someone okay that sand for me? Is there anything wrong with anything in it? Thanks!

[elliotulysses]

On a related note, I just bought this sand, in what must be "Moonlight Sand" because it is very very fine, but it doesn't actually say the name on the package from what I can see. Can someone okay that sand for me? Is there anything wrong with anything in it? Thanks!

It's Caribsea as well. It is finer than their sunset gold, which is actually very fine itself. The only thing wrong with it is the level of fine grain can cause issues with getting into your filter and kind of destroying it. So it depends on how much you really love your filter and also what sort of filter you have.
From what I've gathered Caribsea does a pretty good job as substrate, though.