Sand

[tothna]

I was wondering if having sand in your tank would make it harder to clean than gravel? Does it get stirred up and cloudy?

[CentralMayhem]

you just have to approach vaccuming it differently. get a much smaller and less turbulent gravel vac or siphoning device and go over the bottom skimming the detritus off the top. every so often you should agitate the sand on one half of the aquairum and do a water change. alternating sides every time you do the procedure.when you agitate, make sure all pumps are off so you dont get sand in there. the only reason you stir the gravel is that if left it will compact and form dead spots which could produce poisonous hydrogen gases that can kill fish. doing one side at a time allows the biological organisms responsible for you biofiltration do not get too depleted causing an amonnia spike. sand looks great in tanks, just have to be a little more careful than with gravel. give it a shot, if you keep it clean i find it brings more comments than a standard gravel substrate.

[WckedMidas]

if u ad sand. make sure tank has no fish in it first in my oppinon. And unplug all the filters to prevent them from sucking it up and cuaseing impeller damage to your filters. Id didnt do this and ruined three magnum canister filters this way./

[sleepyflight]

Didn't know about the half side vaccuum aspect. No wonder my only finicky and sometimes kill tank is the one with fine white sand. It's all my fault :angryfire

[CentralMayhem]

YOUR FUNNY SLEEPY. JUST DONT LET IT GET COMPACTED AND YOU SHOULD BE FINE. I DEFINITELY AGREE WITH WICKED, ADD BEFORE FISH ARE IN THE TANK

[M|L]

using the right brand/type of sand will not create too much trouble, infact, ever since I started using sand, I never went back to gravel. I use Este's Reef Sand, however, it is safe for freshwater use also. it is very easy to clean and will not cloud your water.

[redtailfool]

sand is a little more work than gravel or barebottom.

[Embowe]

The black moon sand looks great but there is alot more upkeep to it...anything lighter in color shows up on the bottom right away...but think its worth the hassle....its looks unique

[buddah101]

I just recently started using sand and I have to say that it's easier to keep than I thought.

[piranha45]

Sand is a breeze. If you have a good filter current, you don't need to vacuum the substrate at all; just change the water.

[Daddyo72]

If you rinse quite well you shouldn't have a problem with it in filters. Also get Malaysian trumpet snails, they are a must have for any tank with a sand substrate. They burrow thru the sand in search of food, releasing the pockets of anaerobic gas at a safe level and evenly. I have a power head causing a light current across the sand and in turn letting the detritus get sucked up into my filters. Just an idea for you.

[piranha45]

are there any online sellers of these snails, that you're aware of off the top of your head?

[Daddyo72]

are there any online sellers of these snails, that you're aware of off the top of your head?
There are lots on Aquabid. They are real cheap. If you have any snail eating fish, be careful. You can try to bury them when you get them and there cheap enough that it wont matter if you loose a few.

[buddah101]

Sand is a breeze. If you have a good filter current, you don't need to vacuum the substrate at all; just change the water.
Thats one of the main reasons I like it so...and of course the looks.

[Daddyo72]

You could also add fish like cory cats and whiptails to help move the sand. FW clams also help.

[M|L]

malaysian trumpets can be a nuisance if they start to reproduce wildly... I don't really trust the use of "cleaners" because "anything that goes in, will also come out", these "cleaners" will still produce fecal matter after feeding on whatever is available.

using a siphon will solve all the problems, sand gets elevated by the siphon force, allowing all the debris under the sand coming free flowing which is easily picked up by the siphon.

[redtailfool]

Sand is a breeze. If you have a good filter current, you don't need to vacuum the substrate at all; just change the water.


That statement is a broad generalization. If you have small to medium size fish then maybe that will probably work. Try having rays and fish 15 inches and bigger and i guarantee you , no matter how strong your current is detritus will stick to the sand and you will need to vacumn it. Its even worse if you have big rocks in the tank. Poop will settle on the edges of the rock or driftwood.

I do agree on how awesome sand looks on a tank though. I do get tempted form time to time to add sand to my ray tank again, but i do remember the hassle that i had and i just smile and "Just Say No".

[Daddyo72]

malaysian trumpets can be a nuisance if they start to reproduce wildly... I don't really trust the use of "cleaners" because "anything that goes in, will also come out", these "cleaners" will still produce fecal matter after feeding on whatever is available.

using a siphon will solve all the problems, sand gets elevated by the siphon force, allowing all the debris under the sand coming free flowing which is easily picked up by the siphon.
They can easily be dispatched with clown loaches. I've had MTS for years and find that their stirring the sand alone to remove gas pockets is reward enough for me. Of cource, this is not a substitute for a good vaccuming, but vaccuming tends to release the gas too quickly.

[DeLgAdO]

you gotta vaccum eventually regardless of how clean you keep the water

i use longer than usual gravel vacs to keep the sand suspend instead of sucking it up then it just drifts back down i like sand because it has more surface area than gravel, which holds more bacteria, which holds more fish :grinno: