# Where do you get your substrate from?



## thharris (Jun 29, 2010)

I was thinking of setting up a few tanks soon but wanted to hear some insite on where you guys get it from.

I took a look at Rona and Canadian tire, and really rona had abit of promise but I dont think it would look that great in a fish tank.


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

pet stores
aquariums west has their substrate on sale atm cuz they dont want to move it to the new location i think


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## mikebike (Sep 8, 2010)

I went to Otter Co-Op out in E Langley and bought an 50# sack of Chicken grit (grushed Granite) black and white and grey colours in it.
I started using chicken grit about 60 years ago.


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## jkcichlid (Apr 21, 2010)

All the pet stores will have substrate. Most will have substrate specifically designed to grow plants in. If you just want rocks (small pebbles or pea gravel) check out a landscape retailer in your area. Probably cheaper there


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## Mferko (Jun 8, 2010)

mikeike said:


> I went to Otter Co-Op out in E Langley and bought an 50# sack of Chicken grit (grushed Granite) black and white and grey colours in it.
> I started using chicken grit about 60 years ago.


sounds cool, i love the look of granite
atm my fishies need really fine sand tho for digging


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## Ursus sapien (Apr 21, 2010)

play sand. Rona, Home Hardware, TmbrrMart... every store has it's own brand of locally dredged, heat sterilized river sand. Takes some rinsing but it's less than $10 for 25 kilos. Very fine, perfect for loaches and corys, or anything else that digs. I grow all kinds of rooted plants without a problem.


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## MadgicBug (Apr 22, 2010)

Perhaps its better to post what kind of fish, plants, inverts, etc you want to keep in each tank as there are substrates better suited for for each setup.


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm using turface in my tanks it clay pellets and you can get a 50 lb bag at ever gro in Vancouver for $18 including taxes. This stuff is great it won't break down . Here is some info on the product.

Any experience with Turface? - Aquarium Advice - Aquarium Forum Community

MVP | Turface Athletics


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## Buffer (Apr 29, 2010)

I buy silica fine sand from pool supplies store. It's really beautiful and there's different colour. Extremely easy to rinse without many dust or particles. You probably dont even need any rinsing if you dont feel like it! 

It's $20 for 50lbs.

There's a store a few door from J&L.


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## thharris (Jun 29, 2010)

Thanks for all the tips guys!!!
I know that local pet stores have some but its usualy so expensive. I have 3 extra tanks that are just sitting empty (20gal/15gal/5gal) so I was thinking what to do with them but didn't want to spend $60 on gravel lol

I like the way sand looks, and you can get away with less. I guess I should decide first on what I'm stocking these tanks with


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## mcrocker (May 29, 2010)

I have sandblasting sand in my biggest tank. I think it was something like 10-15$ for a 50 lb bag from lordco.(conveniently located next to IPU in Richmond) It's a fairly light colored sand which I like, but you wont' have any color choices.

I also tried some glass bead once, which was cool but too much of it got into my filters. It's even lighter in color, almost pure white, and looked awesome. It's so fine that it shifts around with currents or fish moving, which can be nice but also a bit of pain, since all it takes is a larger fish turning quickly to swirl it off the bottom. Depending on your filter you might like it, but it's quite a bit more expensive than the sand.(in the area of $50 for a 50 lb bag IIRC)

These might not be what you are looking for if you are going planted, but if you want sand, check out automotive supply stores. (lordco, princess auto, etc)


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## christhefish (Nov 8, 2010)

i use play sand now from home depot it looks more natural to me than the small gravel at the pet stores and inexpensive too but it needs lots of cleaning first


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