Planted Tanks and sand..

[greenmaji]

I realize Ive asked about substrates before but Ive seen some people using regular sand.. I realize the options for substrate are quite large but what are the disadvantages to using such a product.. Im thinking that I might not have thought of all the pros and cons here..

 

[gheitman]

One of the disadvantages of sand is that it can get easily sucked up the intake tube of your filter and damage the impeller. I have used sand in a 5 gallon hex tank for more than two years and this hasn't happened to me yet. I don't mind using sand as a substrate as it is easy rearrange plants in an aquarium. I recently added onyx sand to a newly set up 20 gallon long tank and really like the way it has turned out. It was a hassle rinsing the dust out but you shouldn't have as serious a problem with normal sand. A lot also depends on the type of fish you will have in the tank. Cories like sifting through the sand for food and sand is perfect for spiny eels.

 

[malkore]

sand is hard to vaccuum too, for the same reason.
it also compacts, creating anaerobic pockets, which could form hydrogen sulfide gas pockets, which are toxic to fish if htey get disturbed. So you have to stir it from time to time.

 

[AquaJoe]

You may or may not be interested to know that in my tank I use gravel (purchased from WalMart) for the aquarium substrate and plant my cuttings in rockwool cubes. I let the planted cuttings float around in the aquarium until I see roots popping out of the rockwool and then I plant the cube into the gravel. Works great and helps me avoid having to switch to sand

PS: I'm sure sand has it's advantages. I have never used sand as a substrate.

Joe

 

[FMJnaX]

Not that this a problem for your setup, but in mine I would have a problem with fish eating it (see signature. lol). Just thought I would add a "con" to the list.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

IMO, I don't have any disadvantages with sand. If you use something like pool filter sand, it is very easy to clean. Just fill a bucket 1/3 full of sand, stick in a garden hose and swish the sand around with your hand for about 15 minutes with the water continuously running in the bucket. This will pull up the dust and debris. I did it this way and haven't had any cloudiness.

Toss in some MTS and you don't have to worry about stirring the sand. I still do it about twice a month, but that's just because I have a mixed black and pool filter sand look in the tank and I'm still mixing the two colors together. But, this isn't really a big deal to do.

Cleaning it seems alot easier than with gravel. When using gravel, fish waste sifts its way between the gravel. With sand, it just sits ontop of it. So all you have to do is wave the gravel vac above the sand to kick up the waste, and suck it out. With a heavier sand (like pfs), you can push the gravel vac into the sand about 1/2 inch, then tilt it to the side and shake the sand out. Only minimal amounts of sand will be sucked up. I probably average about 1 tablespoon when doing the weekly water changes. But that is a combination of the 10, 29, and 150 gal tank.

We used to ONLY have gravel tanks. Then we sanded the 55 gal beacuse of our eels and loved the look of it. At that time we used sand from the lfs. It was light and we had alot of cloudiness and clumping. When we did the 29 gal tank, we used pool filter sand. No cloudiness or clumping. So when the 150 gal tank arrived, the cost of sand vs gravel was obvious. It was SO much cheaper to sand the tank than use gravel. Then I converted the 10 gal over to sand a couple months ago. The 5 gal is going to be converted when we move, and when I setup the new 55 gal tank, it will be sand.

It's basically just personal preference. I like the ease of vacs with the sand over gravel. Depending on which color of gravel you use, the sand looks more natural. Plus, my fish LOVE to play in it. They make little pits in it and sleep in them. Also, I haven't had any issues with sand harming the impeller of the filter. It is a good idea to use something to cover the intake tube of the fitler for the first couple days. If it is a lighter sand, you may want to keep the cover on. But if it is heavier sand, you don't really need it. The sand should stay put.

This is JMO. YMMV depending on the type of sand that you use.

 

[FawnN]

The whole reason I switched all my tanks to sand was because it was easier to clean.

When you use sand, you really don't have to dig around in it to pick up the leftover food. The food tends to settle at the surface and what is left over is picked up by my bottom dwellers.

I will usually stir up the sand then then use my python to pick up the floating debris.

As for the gas pockets, I have trumpet snails that burro in the sand to aerate it.

I love sand versus pea size gravel and larger. The bigger the gravel the more food that will get trapped in the open spots and foul up my water faster.

That is my opinion.

 

[greenmaji]

How many live "creatures" live in the sand in FW other than MTS and spinny eels..?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

MTS will burrow in the sand along with the eels. Hmmm. I know that I've read somewhere about a couple others that burrow also. The names don't come to mind, but I remember thinking, WOW!

 

[billyblade]

what are good bottom feeders that will stir up the sand? Will some kind of pleco stir up the sand? I know a few have said MTS and els, is there anything else. I am setting up my 20 gal tank with sand now and don't know what is a good bottom feeder.
I also bought a 70gal filter as it was cheaper than any of the others. Guess it was mis marked. the top seems to have a good ripple at the top, so I am guessing smaller fish wouldn't be the best for this situations.

I am also looking to see what kind of plants are best for sand.

Thank you for any input in advance.

 

[malkore]

corys and pleco's won't stir the sand up deep enough. MTS are about the best, and usually don't bother plants, but can become pests due to population size. I just remove a handful when I see too many.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Malkore is right. The pleco's and cory's won't burrow in the sand. They may play in it a little bit, but they won't mix it around. MTS are great. They probably reproduce like crazy, but mine haven't yet. Maybe something in my tank is keeping them in check (29 gal), but I only see maybe 3 or 4.

 

[billyblade]

What kind of plants are best for sand?

 

[Steve Hampton]

Personally I haven't found any plants that can't be grown in the "right" kind of sand. The right kind being coarse sand or blasting grit, and sand that has laterite, peat, and mulm added to the bottom layer. IME, Lighting, CO2 levels, and maintaining nutrient levels are many times more critical to having success with plants than is the choice of substrate.

 

[greenmaji]

The right kind being coarse sand or blasting grit, and sand that has laterite, peat, and mulm added to the bottom layer.

Elaboration on the bottom layer would be appreciated. TIA!

 

[Steve Hampton]

For sand I use a coarse grade pool filter or sand blasting sand. I add a 1 inch layer of sand to the bottom of the tank and then add to the sand 1-2oz. of laterite per gallon of tank. I mix those two thoroughly and smooth it out evenly. On top this mix I add one handful of peat per 10 gallon of tank, a handful of garden loam, and as much plant mulm as you can harvest from another planted tank. If you can't get the plant mulm just add a bit more peat. Top this by adding another 1-2 inches of of sand. Personally I top the sand with a darker pea gravel mixture because I prefer a darker substrate. For smaller tanks Onyx sand can be substituted for the pool filter sand. The substrate layering is visible when looking at the tank, adding wide black electrical tape to match the tank frame hides this very nicely.

The important thing to do is to keep those higher organic layers from being exposed to the water column.

Note also that MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snails) are a very important part of keeping a sand substrate replenished with nutrients and "stirred". If you see a population explosion of MTS it is an indication of overfeeding...a major culprit in algae blooms.

And regarding getting plant mulm from another tank. Simply siphon out as much muck from the substrate as possible from an established tank saving the mucky water into 5 gal pails. Let the pail(s) undisturbed over night then decant the water off the top of the pail leaving just the good rich "live" mulm...leaving some water is fine.

 

[greenmaji]

Can you have spinny eels in a tank with layered substrate.. and what about digging fish? can it be done with something to protect the organic layers.. like eggcrate? but that would divide up your tanks planted area into little squares wouldnt it.. and the eels wouldnt have much luck getting through that either.. I am right in assuming mumbas are diggers right? this is a though one! :? :? :?

 

[greenmaji]

bump..