sand??

[madchild24]

i got a couple questions.
1) pros and cons of sand are?
2) will sand work with ugf
3) what colour of gravel (for landscaping) would go with plain sand or can u landscape with sand?

 

[Jchillin]

Cons - Used with a UGF, you will create a nitrate factory.
Pros - Looks "realistic"
Cons - It is realistic and will behave that way ie: Waste accumulation. Since FW aquarists don't have the same type of filtration that SW aquarists do (live rock, tons of small critters constantly turning the sand and removing the detrius) detrius build up is common. It's also difficult to gravel vac the sand without creating enormous cloudiness while free floating detrius is on the loose. Sand can also get into the tubes causing clogs.

 

[madchild24]

thanks i want to use a ugf but i dont realy want gravel is there like a in between?
or something that looks like sand but is gravel?

 

[fishyrican]

If at all possible, I would avoid using a UGF. There are better filtration options available, such as HOB or canister filters.

(edited to correct spelling)

 

[madchild24]

i was going to use hob with a ugf?

 

[fishyrican]

As Jchillin said, the UGF will just serve as a nitrate factory. In addition, the constant maintenance is a pain. You have to be aware of circulation dead spots. Since the use of a UGF requires a deeper gravel bed, there is greater chance of toxins gathering beneath the surface in areas of poor circulation.

You have to constantly vacuum the gravel (more so than if you were using another type of filter) because the gravel is the filter media. With other filters, you can rinse/replace the media to remove the detritus. With a UGF, you are left with making sure you remove all the detritus, or risk it decaying in the tank, since the media always stays in the tank. This is just my two cents, though. The whole UGF debate can generate some passionate opinions sometimes.

 

[madchild24]

thanks i wont us a ugf
any ideas of a gravel or something that looks like sand>?

 

[fishyrican]

Some people use natural pea gravel, which you may be able to get from HD or a garden supply store. This is not too large (which would leave gaps to trap detritus) or too small, which as I wrote earlier, would pack down over time.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I have sand in all of my tanks except for the 5 gal and have never had any problems with cloudiness after vacs. In fact, it seems alot easier to maintain the sand.

pros and cons of sand are?

Pro- fish waste doesn't shift through the sand like it does gravel. You don't get build up in the sand like you do gravel. It looks natural. It is easy to landscape. Cichlids love it.
Cons- You have to mix the sand around in the tank to prevent gas pockets. This can also be done with the use of MTS snails. They burrow in the sand and do the mixing for you.

will sand work with ugf

Nope. IMO, UGF are outdated and only cause problems. A HOB or canister would be a much better option.

what colour of gravel (for landscaping) would go with plain sand or can u landscape with sand?

You can use any color of rock to landscape. I use a pinkish orangish colored rock and built little huts. The fish then dig out under the rocks and landscape it themselves. Then again, I have cichlids that love to do that.

I don't think I could go back to gravel after sanding the tanks. The 55 will be sand and any future tanks will also be sand. You can get pool filter sand pretty cheap if you go to a pool supply store or play sand from HD. I got 50 lbs of pool filter sand for $15, that's a heck of a lot cheaper than gravel or sand from the lfs.

 

[bzbee]

It's also difficult to gravel vac the sand without creating enormous cloudiness while free floating detrius is on the loose.

This is somewhat true if you use too fine a grade of sand. I bought silica playsand from HD and even though I washed it out thoroughly, it still clouds up a little bit when I or a fish disturbs it. I tried this for an experimental sand/black and blue gravel mix and the fine particles eventually settle on my gravel and "bleach" it out, making the tank look real unsightly. Do what fishyfanatic recommends and use the larger grain pool filter sand.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I just sanded the 10 gal tank last weekend and didn't have cloudiness at all in the tank. Cloudiness normally occurs for a couple hours after first putting in the sand. I washed the sand in a bucket for about 15 minutes and it worked great. The heavier sand is easier to work with. That's why I recommended pool filter sand.