Sand Maintenance

[dustyeisner]

I have a 40G Tank with Knight Gobies and Sardine Cichlids. I use cichlid salts in the water so I wouldnt call it Brackish but it does have a good amount of salt. I have a 3 1/2 - 4 1/2 inch sandy bottom.

Now my question is how should I maintain the sand? Is it deep enough for anaerobic bacteria to break down the waste or do I need to figure something else out. Ive had the tank for over a year now and I've been keeping the filter clean but is that enough? The tank has a good amount of movement so nothing really builds up on the sand plus the gobies are good about keeping things moving. Any advice comments or observations will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Purrbox]

You'll either need to stir the sand periodically yourself, or get a snail or fish to stir it for you. Malaysian Trumpet Snails are often used for this purpose. There are also several varieties of fish that like to play in the sand and as a result stir it.

 

[dustyeisner]

I have those exact snails and my gobies are constantly playing in the sand stirring up the very top. Is that all i have to worry about? What about the waste that works its way deeper into the sand. wont it build up and increase nitrates?

 

[Purrbox]

You can remove the excess mulm from the sand by waving your gravel vac over top of it. The rest of the mulm that works it's way into the sand will provide nutrients for the plants.

If you don't plant heavily enough, you may need to clean the sand a bit more. By getting a sheet of plastic canvas (from craft section) you can cut it and insert it into the end of your gravel vac. Leave an 1" or more beyond the end. This can then be used to stir the sand where it isn't planted and get up the extra mulm without sucking up the sand.

 

[Phoenixphire55]

Not sure if I should start a new post for this but....

I'm planning to put sand in my goldfish tank, but I was also wondering about sand maintenance. I don't have any plants in my tank but I'm not sure what plants would work with sand, goldfish, and the standard hood light that I have on my tank. I could put some snails in the tank, but is that enough? I have 5 goldfish and they produce a ton of waste. My tank has a bare bottom right now and it looks hideous so I really want to try sand, if its not a huge hassle. Is it harder to use than gravel?

 

[Alaris]

With sand you can't suck it up in your vacuum like gravel. You can use the vacuum like Joy suggested to get the mulm off the top of the sand. Then stir the sand to prevent anaerobic pockets from developing. Also keeping the level of the sand less than 1" will help to prevent anaerobic pockets as well.