sand

hi guys

i'am thinking of replace the gravel in one of my tanks with sand has anyone got sand in their's
if so whats it like for keeping clean - vacing etc i would like to have a natural looking setup in
one of my tanks - so any help would be much appreciated.

p.s whats the best sand to get - i have heard the childrens play sand is ok is this right


thanks in advance.....................dekker

This is something I have often thought of doing but never got round to. I do like the look of sand though.

Why are you doing it dekks, just fancy a change?

I have sand in my betta/fry tank - and in all honesty - its no more bother than gravel.

Just make sure any filter intakes are far enough away from the sand bed as to not suck sand up and possibly dmage impellors etc.

Also - gravel vac is the same, just be slower and not too vigourous - but be very sure to turn it all over to stop the sand compressing and creating pockets of gas - this problem is mouch easier to create with sand than gravel.

Ive heard of using kiddies play sand - but as im a worry pants - i prefer to get sand from LFS - least if it does damage I have reasonable cause under the law to complain - imagine going to argos in 6weeks time and saying 'your play pit sdand killed my fish' theyll look at you and think 'WTF?'

As for sand with plants - I have no idea how it works or doesnt - all my plants are 100% pure plastic (or silk ) but tbh - its not difficult to maintain.

If it were - I woulodnt have two large bags ready to be cleaned for my remaining tanks (you know me by now)

Just be aware that when you change water - if your like me and tend to 'dump' the new water in - for a couple of hours, the tank can look cloudy.

By sand is much better for may fish such as cory's and most bottom dwellers - and im told many cichlids prefer it (for substrate nest builders)

At the end of the day - give it a try - keep the old gravel in case you change your mind

hi diana yeah i just fancy having it in one of the tanks for a different look.

hi rich, thanks for all the info mate i think i will be giving it a go by the way i take it you still
have to wash the sand before putting it in the tank just like you do with gravel, i will be trying not to disturb it to much when doing a water change i ues a jug to put my fresh water in - i put the jug right in then tip it up no ripple or anything.

thanks again guys .........................dekker

(I think the main thing with the sand dekks is that you have to cause a little bit of disturbance in it every now and again otherwise you can get a build up of gases in it.

Pics when it is done dekks

ok will do - think it will be as soon as weather gets warmer - who know's when that will be


dekker

the instructions on the sand i got basically says to 'rinse' it - basically put some in a bucket - add water and remove the bits that float to the top (I will be boiling it tho)

If you blast it with a hose in a bucket - youll lose alot of sand as it will be disturbed and float around in the water - ie a fluidised sand bed.

The only other downside to sand i forgot was it does show up fish poo (from plecs) and uneaten food much more clearly than gravel

hi rich thanks for all the info mate - even with all the draw backs i still want to give it a go
will just have to do a water change more often.

thanks again rich.....................dekker

dekker wrote:

hi guys

i'am thinking of replace the gravel in one of my tanks with sand has anyone got sand in their's
if so whats it like for keeping clean - vacing etc i would like to have a natural looking setup in
one of my tanks - so any help would be much appreciated.

p.s whats the best sand to get - i have heard the childrens play sand is ok is this right


thanks in advance.....................dekker

Hiya dekks, hows things. I put some sand in my small betta tank and it's ok. I dont have the problems with it getting mucky because there is not many fish in there so just hoover it keeping the vac about an inch above the sand.

One thing I wonder is do you still have to be careful of pockets of gas in the sand even if you dont have live plants or do they only form where there are roots of plants?

hi F.F

nice too hear from you mate hope your keeping well - i didn't have a clue about sand
F.F so i thought i would ask you guys so thanks for the info going to give it a try
in a couple of months when the weather gets a bit warmer - so will update you then -pics as well when i get it in


dekker

Ive no real plants in my tanks - only gravel substrates and I still get pockets of gas - so I would guess the gaps between grains of sand would be smaller thus smaller gas bubbles, but a larger surface area would give (overall) potentially more gas

so back of the beans

I know sand compacts very quickly and shuld be raked over regularly - which will also release the gas

thanks very much for the tips rich let me know if you think of anymore


cheers....................dekker