Sand for tank...

[11000rpm]

Hi there,

I tot of putting some sand(stones) into my tank, is it difficult to maintain?
What type of fish is not recommended for this setup?
I'm afraid that the sand will slowly mixed up with the fish "poo".

 

[Scottfree]

I just bought Pool filter sand (coase sand) and it' the perfect substrate in my opinion, very soft as well....

 

[MaryPaIsInAwe]

I use Sandblasters sand because it doesn`t get air pockets. The down side of sand is it shows up all the poo, needless to say I do small dail vacs just to remove visible poo. Another thing I justhate when my loaches have all the sand brushed to the back of the tank.

 

[HarleyK]

Howdy,

You should introduce some Malaysian Trumpet Snails. No air pockets, no fish poop, no dead spots

HarleyK




.

 

[rallysman]

Howdy,

You should introduce some Malaysian Trumpet Snails. No air pockets, no fish poop, no dead spots

HarleyK




.

I hear you speak of these all the time, but I can never find them. I'd like to get some for my sand bottom tanks. Where should I look?

 

[Honda12]

My pet store has them. I don't like them though cause they multipy to fast, unless I have somthing different.

 

[davo]

would rays seek them out as food?

 

[RowingMunkeyCU]

I hear you speak of these all the time, but I can never find them. I'd like to get some for my sand bottom tanks. Where should I look?

you can sometimes find them at a petstore, and if you get a fish or plant, they'll usually just throw the snails in the bag for free if you ask. you can also usually find them on aquabid.

My pet store has them. I don't like them though cause they multipy to fast, unless I have somthing different.

you may have something different, MTSs are livebearers so they dont leave eggs and reproduce more slowly.

this is one of the types of more common snails that tend to reproduce very quickly, and tend to serve little purpose in aquariums. their shells tend to be somewhat translucent, and fairly brittle, so if you put a finger on them, they can be crushed with little effort. on the other hand, MTSs have one of the hardier shells, so much so that clown loaches dont crunch them, but rather suck out the bodies.

this is a malaysian trumpet snail, the colors of their shells can vary a little bit as well.

would rays seek them out as food?

im not too sure about rays eating the snails, but a couple of clown loaches will take care of the snail population quickly. another way to deal with an overabundance of snails is to soak a lettuce leaf in hot water, then place it in the tank just before turning out the lights for the night. after a few hours, or the next morning, there should be a ton of snails on the leaf, and you can just pull it out and do with them as you please.

 

[LA213]

I just bought Pool filter sand (coase sand) and it' the perfect substrate in my opinion, very soft as well....

does yours contain silica also? and if not, is the 1 with silica harmful to fishes? if so, which 1s? thnx in advanced

 

[MaryPaIsInAwe]

I have tons of MTS. If you have loaches they`ll keep them under control without wipping out all the snails. Just send me your address and i`ll send some free.