Extra thick substrate questions

ozymandias

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jan 12, 2009
31
0
0
Iowa
In the near future, I am going to be getting an Alligator Snapper hatchling, and I am looking to set up a great tank for it's first few years (at which point it will be moving to an indoor pond/stocktank).

I have a 75 gallon tank, and was thinking of using some bricks to build a bit of a wall across the tank, so that I could have one end fairly deep, with the other end much less deep. I'm thinking a wall at least 2 bricks tall, leaving 4-6 inches of substrate on one side.

I would like to use sand as a substrate, and may place some bricks or other filler to reduce the substrate depth on the shallow end -- but this would still likely leave me a thicker than usual substrate. I don't really want to run into a problem with anarobic pockets in the sand. Looking into this, I have come across freshwater deep sand beds, which might work out great -- I have no problems adding MTS and/or blackworms to help with that process.

Anyone have any experience with thick sand beds in freshwater tanks? Any tips, comments, suggestions, horror stories or useful information?
 

brich999

Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jul 3, 2010
4,312
11
38
New Hampshire
I have about 110lbs of sand and small gravel substrate in a 57g tank because I like having the back much deeper than the front to give it a slope. In back I have probably 5" or more of sand and dont have mts or anything but tanks has been runnijg fine well over a year and water quality is excellent. I keep pretty fragile fish and shrimp without any issues and never disturb the sand. I have rams that kimda sift the very top of it and amano shrimp keep the tank pretty clean but nothing that digs or burrows
 
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