# Coral sand for Guppies?



## lar (Apr 21, 2010)

hi all, is coral sand good for guppies as substrate for a 7 gallon tank? thanks!


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## Rajan (Apr 21, 2010)

nope the ph ist gonna be to high. coral sand is good for pretty much all cichlids and saltwater.


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## 2wheelsx2 (Apr 21, 2010)

Live bearers like a slightly elevated pH, but as Rajan says, using as a substrated the coral sand will bring the pH over 8 constantly, which is a bit on the high side for guppies.


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## lar (Apr 21, 2010)

understand...thank you very much!


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## darb (Apr 21, 2010)

I would reply yes, if you are going to harden their water.

Do your own research on the internet, the information is out there and never put too much faith in advice that you get from forums.

A good starting point would be:



> The addition of NaCl at the same 1 tablespoon per 5 gallons as beneficial for livebearers. Here the pendulum swings closest to agreement with the myth. These fish as a group are native to estuarine environments where the waters are likely to be hard and alkaline at least, and may be brackish. Sodium chloride is matching their home, right? Well, maybe. If your water is moderately hard to hard (GH 8-12 or more, KH the same range), then some NaCl addition may be all that is needed, if anything is needed at all. If your water is soft and acid, you need buffering and increased TDS as much or than the addition of specific minerals to the water, and NaCl alone will not be sufficient. You need to add crushed coral or aragonite, perhaps plus salt, or just the use of marine mix rather than table salt alone.
> 
> under urban legend 3E: http://www.theaquariumwiki.com/The_Salt_of_the_Earth


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## kelly528 (Apr 21, 2010)

I add crushed coral to my endler tank. Pretty happy with the results. It brings the pH up to about 7.8 in my tank.


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## lar (Apr 21, 2010)

Before I had coral sand as substrate for guppies but I was worry if the pH would went to high. After some research, I put crushed coral in the hang on back filter instead of coral sand as substrate.
Thanks guys!


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