Best substrate?

[JoeZ]

I've read alot that people are using fine sand for their freshwater aquariums now. Supposedly it is easier to maintain from a waste perspective, as most of the crap either sits on the surface, or gets taken away from the "current" into the filter. I have used play sand from Home Depot in many of the salt water aquariums, and was very pleased. Can this same product be used in an aquarium with small cichlids and live plants?

 

[Bix22]

Yes that should be fine just make sure to rinse it thoroughly to remove impurities.

 

[Mebbid]

yeah it can be used just fine. But from my experience it packs down really tightly so I would make sure to add some malaysian trumpet snails

 

[Pearly]

Sorry for sticking my nose into your thread but this is of interest to me as well. I have white sand in 2 tanks and it's got those dark areas now that are very unsightly looking through the glass. This seems to have happened over past few weeks after losing some of my ghost shrimp stock during round of medication. I tried little more aggressive vacuuming (but still not completely stirring it all up) and it didn't really make any difference. esthetics of my tanks is important to me. What's the rationale for the suggested here snails? Will they burrow in the sand, or clean it? Is there anything else you could suggest I could do to keep the sand white? It stayed white for few months! So dissapointing!

 

[JoeZ]

@ Mebbid - Where do you buy these snails from? Are there any worries about overpopulation as I've heard this is a major concern in general with fresh water snails. How many are recommended to start off with (per gallon)?

PS - do you agree with going with a sand substrate vs. gravel? I've had gravel for many many years and have always found it to be extremely dirty, no matter how much you try and vac it up. I've done an awful lot of reading and it seems the new trend is sand.

 

[scuba dude]

I used pool filter sand in mine. Looks natural and inexpensive and plants seem to root fine in it. Just take your time and rinse it well and you should have no problem if thats what you decide to use.

 

[JoeZ]

Are you using the white or brown filter sand? Any issues with algae or diatoms?

 

[scuba dude]

Joe , I guess I would say it is white. It has maybe a slight tan color to it but I would say it is definatly not brown. No trouble with algae at all.

 

[Mebbid]

@ Mebbid - Where do you buy these snails from? Are there any worries about overpopulation as I've heard this is a major concern in general with fresh water snails. How many are recommended to start off with (per gallon)?

PS - do you agree with going with a sand substrate vs. gravel? I've had gravel for many many years and have always found it to be extremely dirty, no matter how much you try and vac it up. I've done an awful lot of reading and it seems the new trend is sand.

I got the Malaysian trumpet snails for free from my lfs. I started off with about 10 in my 55g and they have multiplied like crazy. I would imagine I have hundreds now. They are pest snails so multiply quickly, but stay in the sand for the most part so you don't really see them like you do pond snails. With a large number of them burrowing through the sand it will keep the sand from compacting and help the plants grow better. I am also of the mind that any type of pest snail is beneficial for an aquarium for different reasons, but that is more than I feel like explaining on my phone.

I greatly prefer sand over gravel. The detritus accumulates on the top and is much easier to clean than gravel. In fact, in my tank the flow is positioned so everything is pushed to 1 corner of the tank to make cleaning even easier.

 

[Mebbid]

Sorry for sticking my nose into your thread but this is of interest to me as well. I have white sand in 2 tanks and it's got those dark areas now that are very unsightly looking through the glass. This seems to have happened over past few weeks after losing some of my ghost shrimp stock during round of medication. I tried little more aggressive vacuuming (but still not completely stirring it all up) and it didn't really make any difference. esthetics of my tanks is important to me. What's the rationale for the suggested here snails? Will they burrow in the sand, or clean it? Is there anything else you could suggest I could do to keep the sand white? It stayed white for few months! So dissapointing!

Is it the white silica sand? If anything it is probably just some diatom growth and should go away eventually, but a picture would help.

 

[Pearly]

Is it the white silica sand? If anything it is probably just some diatom growth and should go away eventually, but a picture would help.

No idea if it's silica! It's the horribly expensive bagged substrate sand you get at the petco specifically for aquatics. Will try to take pics later today or tomorrow

 

[Brian_Nano12g]

If you're stepping into the "planted" side of this hobby, its very addictive and you might find yourself wanting to try various species of plants; either now or down the road. Sand is inert so you'll be limited and will need root tabs. I suggest to go with Eco Complete as its easier to start off on the right foot now rather than gutting out your tank to swap substrates later on. Unless you're 100% certain you want to stick with low light / low tech, then sand is fine IMO.

 

[Mebbid]

No idea if it's silica! It's the horribly expensive bagged substrate sand you get at the petco specifically for aquatics. Will try to take pics later today or tomorrow

It's definitely not a silica sand if it's the expensive bagged stuff.