Curious on trying sand, thoughts?

The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.

JoeH2014

Aquarium Advice Regular
Joined
Jul 30, 2014
Messages
75
Location
USA - Iowa
Hey everybody. New to the forums and have been studying a ton over the last few weeks. Been out of the aquarium game for a while but I'm getting back into it with a 45g tall tank. Planning on doing a fishless cycle for the first time beginning this weekend. My question though is about the substrate.

I've always used gravel without issue, but after reading so many good things about sand, I'm beginning to wonder if I should consider pool filter sand. However, I have a few concerns:

-I'm an avid user of undergravel filters and realize I won't be able to use one anymore. Will this be detrimental to my aquarium health?

-I will be running a fluval U4 filter. Would sand present problems for this? I don't want to kill the filter.

-How does cleaning of the sand work? Do I still use a gravel vacuum and clean it like I would with gravel?

I plan on having 4-6 corys as well as a pleco or other algae eater, and was pleased to read they prefer sand. Plus I think it would look more natural.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. If there's a guide for implementing sand that I wasn't able to find, links would be appreciated as well.

Thanks in advance!

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Under-gravel filters are a pain the rear. Not using one will not adversely affect the health of your tank.

I suggest getting a medium-grain sand. It'll be safe for your corys and will not clog up your filter. Wash it with a few volumes of water to remove the soluble matter and small particulates. You don't need to vacuum it like gravel because there are no large pores for feces and other junk to clog. Siphon lightly above the level of the sand. If you use pool filter sand, be sure that there are no additives.
 
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate it! I read somewhere on here that you need to regularly move the sand around to avoid pockets of undesirable growth. Is that accurate?

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
I love the larger grain sand. I think pockets are more of an issue with dirted tanks. Some people use chopsticks to loosen the sand. Good luck.... Post pictures.
Oh .... I found with the Cory's, that having another algae eater kinda disrupts their peaceful demeanor . I prefer Oto s with Cory's .


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
Awesome, thanks for the info. Maybe I'll stay away from a pleco then.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Yeah, regular Pleco s get hella big. You can get smaller ones like Bristlenose, but again, I like leaving the substrate area for the Cory's . They re happier that way .


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
One thing I hadn't thought about but started seeing as I've done my research is the risk of scratching the aquarium because of the sand. Any tips/strategies to dealing with this? I keep seeing the mag floats come up as the culprit, so I will stay away from those for sure. I always used to have an angled brush from the LFS. Would that be alright to use still and just be careful near the sand?

I really, really want to use sand, but I'm afraid of some of the negative aspects of it. I have a 7 year old son that will want to help, and I worry about him possibly scratching the entire tank up.
 
I use an aquarium sponge made just for glass. To get near the sand, I just push the sand away from the glass & do a section at a time.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice
 
I have my youngest tank that is dirted and capped in play sand. Past rinsing taking a while it's great and it was really cheap! I have tanks with both. I will say since I made the big leap and didn't use the UGF with any of my tanks I am so happy! I don't miss them at all!
 
new tank

Question for y'all i'm starting a new tank and I want to do a sand substrate, but also want to do live plants. Should I put something like flourite down first then layer the sand on top?
 
Well, today is the day for me to buy everything, and I think I've decided to go with gravel. I really wanted to try sand, but the fear of scratching the aquarium, having poop lying all over the top of the sand, and the uncertainty of using with an internal power filter got the better of me. I'll post pics later this weekend when I have it all set up.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Aquarium Advice mobile app
 
Back
Top Bottom