Sand in a Monster Tank

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A

Atkin

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 21, 2008
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England
Could anyone provide me with some information or tips at having fine sand in a monster tank please?

I have a lung, and oscar and a golden severum the first two being very messy eaters

is it worth it? is there anthing special i need to do that differs from using gravel?

The sand isnt in yet as im trying to figure out the pros and cons first

thanks

Atkin
 
I've heard to use a filter sock or some sort of mesh over your filter intake, like old pantyhose. that will keep the sand from clogging the filter.
 
I use Pool Filter Sand (PFS) in my 125 and will use it eventually when I finish my plywood tank.

I keep my pump intake a few inches above the sand and have had no problem. I use a normal gravel syphon to clean the sand. PFS is not fine, so it doesn't get washed down the syphon.

The bad news is that you can get gas build up under the sand which will make your tank smell bad. As long as you clean the sand with the syphon, that will eliminate this problem.

Also be careful when using those algae magnets. If you get sand between the cleaner and the glass/acrylic, you will have scratches.
 
i was told that most syphons will suck the sand straight out of the tank that was one of my main worries

i wouldnt have much sand in there really, just enough to cover the undergravel filter but i normally do a WC weekly

another of my worries was that due to the weird feeding style of lungs i would basically have a sludge of partially digested food and sand after a very short time
 
Atkin;1642333; said:
i wouldnt have much sand in there really, just enough to cover the undergravel filter but i normally do a WC weekly
Click to expand...

sand and undergravel filters dont work together. the sand will fall through the grids i believe and make the UG pointless.
 
Not only that but sand compacts too much too allow a UGF enough suction to do it's job. IMO UGF= Nitrate factory.
 
its a bit more pita to clean, but in the end its worth it, and it takes a bit longer to settle, but its so much better looking. go for it!
so some searches on here, you will find plenty of info
BTW: NO UGF... pita, useless, more damage than good. espeically with sand
 
[FONT=&quot]I've been using sand for about 6 years in my tanks. I'm using silica sand that's used for sand blasting houses and whatnot, 50 grit I think, it's pretty fine. Don't use playsand, it's very dirty and contains water soluble materials. I'll never go back to gravel. You do need to be sure to stir up the gravel when you do cleanings to keep from getting anaerobic pockets in the sand, just stick something down into it all the way to the bottom glass and stir it around a bit. Also it can become compacted making it difficult for plants to grow. I like it because it keeps the tank cleaner, waste collects on top of the sand making it easier to vac up. It's also fun to watch fish that like to dig get into it and move it around. I've never had any problems with it getting into my filter. I definitely recommend it.[/FONT]
 
Hi guys , this is the one part of my tank i have been unhappy with.it has been an agonising decision (gravel / sand).with the information you have posted i think it will be sand from now on,thanks.one question though-can you get a choice of colors or is it fairly bland.
 
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