Chaning substrate suggestions?

[patrickriley2010]

Changing* oh this app auto correct doesn't work on the title :/

Okay I just went to put in a fake grass plant because one of my longfin zebra danios appears to keep laying eggs everywhere Doing some twirl down on the rocks so I wanted to get a grass because last time all the fry got eaten all but 1 that I saved the rest dissapeared into the rocks. Anyways when I went to put the grass in I realized how much junk was trapped down there it was unreal!

I have been told sand is a good but idk what to do what do you all think?


This whole setup is temporary I'm getting plants soon.

Also water is low because I Tried vacuuming up all the crap in the tank.




Also off topic but I bought a moss ball is there any special way to put it in? Like squeeze it or does it have the possibility of snails? Do I rinse it? And if so with what?

 

[patrickriley2010]

Even large chunks of food find their way to the bottom urggghhhhhh

 

[FishCr8zy]

Changing* oh this app auto correct doesn't work on the title :/

Okay I just went to put in a fake grass plant because one of my longfin zebra danios appears to keep laying eggs everywhere Doing some twirl down on the rocks so I wanted to get a grass because last time all the fry got eaten all but 1 that I saved the rest dissapeared into the rocks. Anyways when I went to put the grass in I realized how much junk was trapped down there it was unreal!

I have been told sand is a good but idk what to do what do you all think?

This whole setup is temporary I'm getting plants soon.

Also water is low because I Tried vacuuming up all the crap in the tank.

Also off topic but I bought a moss ball is there any special way to put it in? Like squeeze it or does it have the possibility of snails? Do I rinse it? And if so with what?

Changing to sand is a great idea. When cleaning sand, u only need to sift about 1-2" above the sand to eat the debris. All waste stays on top of sand and will be clearly visible when cleaning. Sand is also better for live plants because the roots get around easier. Also, fish benefit from sand substrate because they won't scratch their underside with sharp gravel pieces. Also, IMO, sand looks better than gravel. U can use sand from pet store( most expensive), blasting sand, pool filter sand ( I use it- 50 lb for $6), or play sand. If u use sand however, u must rinse small portions of the sand ( use a small bucket/pail )and wash it very well. Wash till murky water is gone. Then when u put sand in tank, there will be very little or no cloudiness.

 

[FishCr8zy]

If u bought the moss ball in a pet store in a plastic container, then there r no snails. Don't squeeze too much water out as that will make it float. Moss balls can help reduce algae growth by absorbing vital nutrients algae needs. I personally love marimo moss balls.

 

[patrickriley2010]

Changing to sand is a great idea. When cleaning sand, u only need to sift about 1-2" above the sand to eat the debris. All waste stays on top of sand and will be clearly visible when cleaning. Sand is also better for live plants because the roots get around easier. Also, fish benefit from sand substrate because they won't scratch their underside with sharp gravel pieces. Also, IMO, sand looks better than gravel. U can use sand from pet store( most expensive), blasting sand, pool filter sand ( I use it- 50 lb for $6), or play sand. If u use sand however, u must rinse small portions of the sand ( use a small bucket/pail )and wash it very well. Wash till murky water is gone. Then when u put sand in tank, there will be very little or no cloudiness.

I want one of those EHEIM vacuums would
That be good for that or just a waste ?

 

[patrickriley2010]

If u bought the moss ball in a pet store in a plastic container, then there r no snails. Don't squeeze too much water out as that will make it float. Moss balls can help reduce algae growth by absorbing vital nutrients algae needs. I personally love marimo moss balls.

Gotta love the fuzzy balls ! Lol are there different color sands ? And I watched a video where they filled about 25% of a Home Depot 5 gallon bucket with sand then filled it with water and sifted it around and dumped it repeated it a bunch till the water was clear and then waited an hour to make sure . Which sand do you use ?

 

[Cactuspixie]

I want one of those EHEIM vacuums would
That be good for that or just a waste ?

I've gone through 2 eheims and 2 cheaper vacs. They just don't last.
I can't wait to try sand- I siphon the gravel twice a week during pwcs and still get plenty out.

 

[FishCr8zy]

Gotta love the fuzzy balls ! Lol are there different color sands ? And I watched a video where they filled about 25% of a Home Depot 5 gallon bucket with sand then filled it with water and sifted it around and dumped it repeated it a bunch till the water was clear and then waited an hour to make sure . Which sand do you use ?

I use pool filter sand. I got it from a pool supply store for 50 lb-$6 !!
Very cheap. There r different colors and I think black sand looks the best but it costs A LOT more 20 lb - around $27!! Yes,I used. Home Depot bucket to wash the sand. Filled it one-third with sand and another one-third with water. After washing the sand around, let the sand settle back and pour water out. Use ur hand to make a blockage at the entrance of the bucket so that water can flow out but 99.9% of the sand stays in.

 

[FishCr8zy]

I want one of those EHEIM vacuums would
That be good for that or just a waste ?

I have never heard of one of the eheim vacs. I usually use just an Aqueon siphon+ tube and it works great.

 

[FishCr8zy]

Will u be having live plants in there?

 

[patrickriley2010]

Will u be having live plants in there?

I plan to put a plant or 2

 

[Oohitsae]

I use black diamond sand blasting Sand on my tanks, makes the green plants pop out amazingly IMO (see avatar). I think it was like $8.50 at tractor supply company for a 50lb bag. Comes in different grits, 30/60 is preferred to me, medium roughness so the pieces are big but still not too rough to scratch up my bottom feeders.

The way I rinse is by filling up a 5 gallon bucket about 1/3 the way and then turning my garden hose on full blast, the water from the hose (no head) will push the sand so you can stick it in the bottom of the bucket and I just let it sit there and let it overflow till the water runs clear. After that I stir it occasionally with the hose and wait for it to run clear again. Takes about 1/2 an hour but works like a charm!


You can rinse whatever sand you choose that way, if you go that route. Plenty of options in plenty of colors. Play sand has the most color choices as it goes into sand boxes for kids.

 

[patrickriley2010]

I use pool filter sand. I got it from a pool supply store for 50 lb-$6 !!
Very cheap. There r different colors and I think black sand looks the best but it costs A LOT more 20 lb - around $27!! Yes,I used. Home Depot bucket to wash the sand. Filled it one-third with sand and another one-third with water. After washing the sand around, let the sand settle back and pour water out. Use ur hand to make a blockage at the entrance of the bucket so that water can flow out but 99.9% of the sand stays in.

Cool cool my dad has a sand filtered pool so he may have some extra or may need to change it so I'm going to see if he will buy some and just let me take a few pounds

How much do i put in?

What do I do with fish while changing substrate ? What do I do with my filter while changing its a bio wheel ?

 

[NYgiantsRP]

I had gravel, and switched to sand(20g and 60g)and I regret it. The sand gets moved around easily by the filter output, so it creates a small area where the sand keeps getting pushed around and creates a big divot. Also, it isn't heavy enough to hold down a bubble disc, the disc just keeps popping out of the sand. Also, all the poop sits on the top of the sand and looks terrible. My poor cory cats have to swim around in poop, until I vacuum it out. And vacuuming sand can be a pain, if you get too close to the sand and suck it up it can clog the syphon, and become a pain in the butt. I COMPLETELY regret changing. The gravel hides all the curb better, and my water parameters were great before, and still are, so I don't think the build up in the gravel really makes a difference with the toxins in the water. As long as you vacuum it up good every other week. I would get a dark gravel too, the light colored kind is to reflective, and drowns out the fishes colors...in my opinion.

 

[patrickriley2010]

I had gravel, and switched to sand(20g and 60g)and I regret it. The sand gets moved around easily by the filter output, so it creates a small area where the sand keeps getting pushed around and creates a big divot. Also, it isn't heavy enough to hold down a bubble disc, the disc just keeps popping out of the sand. Also, all the poop sits on the top of the sand and looks terrible. My poor cory cats have to swim around in poop, until I vacuum it out. And vacuuming sand can be a pain, if you get too close to the sand and suck it up it can clog the syphon, and become a pain in the butt. I COMPLETELY regret changing. The gravel hides all the curb better, and my water parameters were great before, and still are, so I don't think the build up in the gravel really makes a difference with the toxins in the water. As long as you vacuum it up good every other week. I would get a dark gravel too, the light colored kind is to reflective, and drowns out the fishes colors...in my opinion.

Better than it sinking in over an inch of gravel and having to vacuum the tank multiple times a week !

Also your the first person who has said not too.

 

[Cactuspixie]

One thing about changing to sand that I know I will benefit from, is being able to SEE what food lies uneaten on the bottom so I can fine tune how much I feed.

 

[patrickriley2010]

One thing about changing to sand that I know I will benefit from, is being able to SEE what food lies uneaten on the bottom so I can fine tune how much I feed.

That's so a good point I was thinking sand and maybe a single layer of small gravel over the top to hide poo and food

 

[FishCr8zy]

Cool cool my dad has a sand filtered pool so he may have some extra or may need to change it so I'm going to see if he will buy some and just let me take a few pounds

How much do i put in?

What do I do with fish while changing substrate ? What do I do with my filter while changing its a bio wheel ?

How many gallons is ur tank?
If u can, take the fish to another separate tank and leave them in there until their usual tank is ready.
Turn the filter off when putting sand in or else lots of sand will get sucked in once put in. Let sand settle and then turn back on. Put the bio wheel in a jar of its usual aquarium water.

 

[Matt68005]

Alot of people dont realize that benifical bacteria lives in the gravel and uses leftover food and poop to break down into harmless nitrate. You can use those kind of round river stones just fine, just watch your feeding and add Stress Zyme with your weekly water changes. Ive tried them all, pea gravel, Sand, Round River rocks. You can even use dirt with a layer of sand or gravel on top, its just a matter of personal preference of how it looks and maintianing good water change schedule and adding Stress Zyme to get the Benificial Bacteria going good. Its how it works in nature and dont overcrowd the tank or over feed it. Some of my tanks have Just an Undergravel filter and my 40 Breeder tank has just the rocks, plants, and a airstone. Just tested and there is no ammonia in it. Just got to feed lightly 2-3x a day. And only exactly as much as they can eat in 2 minutes, Fishes stomachs are small but they are ready for more food in 3 or 4 hours.

 

[Old Scales]

Patrick, your gravel in the picture is HUGE! Way too big for aquarium use as spaces between are too big and trap the deterius too far down. Also, so big it would be useless to plants. If someone sold that under the label of aquarium gravel, they should be whipped with a dead 24" pleco.(Spines and all) The best size in gravel is grain sizes from 2 to 4 mm and no larger than 50% at 5mm. Good luck, OS.