Is it ok to have sand substrate with my fish?

[Silvercloud]

Hi everyone, I was wondering if it would be ok to switch to sand substrate in my 20 gallon tank. My current fish in this tank are:

Albino bristlenose plecos (2)
Betta fish (1)
Mystery snails (3)
Fancy guppies (I've lost count )

Any advice would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[Arget]

What gender is the Betta? I have sand with my Sorority and with my guppies, but the grit level is different. If the Betta is male, then he will see the male guppies as competition, and try to kill them like he would another male Betta. Plecos, from what I've seen with the one in the same tank as the guppies, seems fine with sand. Not sure about the snails, but they should be fine.

 

[V227]

Silvercloud
It seems that sand substrate is becoming very popular. A lot of members have switched from gravel to sand. The main benifet is that sand is easier to keep clean. You've got to be careful not to get any sand particles into the motor housing of your filter. Sand can damage the impeller and clog the filter.
I'm sure switching to sand will be fine and probably look very nice.

 

[Silvercloud]

My Betta is male, but he doesn't attack the male guppy. I have had them in the same tank for about two months.

Thank you both for your advice!

 

[speedy51]

I actually prefer sand as a substrate over gravel. It is much easier to clean. Ditrus will collect on top of the sand making it easier to siphon

 

[Arget]

Okay, the Betta might eat guppy fry, it depends on the individual. Be careful with the sand and don't get a fine sand, the Betta might mistake it for eggs or food and get hurt. I've never had it happen, but it has been known to happen. Putting a sponge on the intake of the filter, depending on what type of filter you've got, will save it. A Betta actually prefers a sponge filter or bubbling one compared to everything else. They are very weak swimmers, even guppy fry do better with currents. Granted, I prefer the sand in two of my tanks, it just looks better then gravel. If you have a dark substrate, then the fish feel better. They also are more colorful.

 

[Silvercloud]

Ok, thanks for the advice

 

[Arget]

You're welcome.

 

[Silvercloud]

Do you guys think black or normal sand would be betterp?

 

[Arget]

Black. It's what I've got in both of my tanks. It makes the fish feel more secure, and it brings out their color the best.

 

[Silvercloud]

Thank you

 

[Arget]

You're Welcome.