For those run have sand bottom tank

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
J

jwong1024

Fire Eel
MFK Member
May 19, 2008
1,445
19
68
Chicago
I am looking for help from those who run or have ran sand bottom tanks. I just switched out regular gravel for Pool Filter Sand. I am doing this because I plan on adding 2 retic rays to my tank. :drool:

So what is my problem? I have poop, a lot of poop! :eek: Fish waste is laying on the surface of the sand. When I had my gravel, the fish waste would sink to the bottom and get trapped in the gravel. I would then clean it when I do my water change.

I run a 125gl 72X18X22, with 3 Emperor 400. I do 25% water change every weekend. My stocklist include 16in Silver Aro, 2 small Plecos, 6 med Cichlids, and a 10 Clown Knife.

How should I clean this? I would hate to have to clean the tank daily. I think when I add the rays, they will stir up th sand and the wast will get sucked up by the filters.
 
I have pool filter sand in my 150 gallon. I have 2 Koralia 4's in my tank, each are rated for 1200 gallons/hour. With the extra flow, no waste settles at the bottom it all goes into the sump.
 
powerheads
getting the poop to settle in one area is my method of choice.. it can then be vacuumed out without having to chase it all over the tank..
 
some hover a gravel vac a couple of inches above the sand so you pick up poop and little to no sand, takes practice but you get the hang of it.
i got rid of sand and switched to fine gravel because i got tired of having to do daily vacs or the tank would look awful because of poop.
 
I played with the direction of the water returning from to the tank from the filter and got all the poo to settle in one back corner of the tank. I then cleared the sand away from that spot and placed a piece of slate rock in there and moved the intake tube to that spot.

All the poo gathers on the slate and the filter takes it away. Replacing the sand there with the slate keeps the majority of the sand from making its way to the filter unless my pl*** stuffs his head into the drift wood and pours on the gas creating a sand storm. Why he has to do it in the direction of the intake tube I don't know.
 
hehe... I have too much circulation for it to just sit there on the sand... Talk about 1250gph on a 75 gallon tank...

I love the koralia's because they move SOOO much water, but it is spread out so you can barely feel it... Like the difference between a leaf blower and a room fan:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
MonsterFishKeepers.com
Top Bottom