"Live sand" in FW tanks.

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.

DannWunderlich

Aquarium Advice Apprentice
Joined
Jul 6, 2008
Messages
42
I AM BRINGING THIS BACK FROM THE DEAD

i really love the look of SW aquariums - the sand makes it look soo bright and sharp

could i do that in fresh water?
have sand substrate with some angels and gourami's?

how would i do it and what are the set backs?
 
pool filter sand is fine and many use it. The color varies depending on your location so it could be light or darker brown.
 
I split your post from the 2004 thread into it's own thread.

Yes, you can use sand in a FW tank. In fact, all of my tanks are PFS mixed with a little black sand.
 
I AM BRINGING THIS BACK FROM THE DEAD

i really love the look of SW aquariums - the sand makes it look soo bright and sharp

could i do that in fresh water?
have sand substrate with some angels and gourami's?

how would i do it and what are the set backs?

I use sand in several of my tanks and there is no reason you can't use it in yours. Black sand makes a good backdrop for many fish allowing them to look their best. I use salt-and-pepper sand in three of my African rift lake tanks because it helps keep the pH high and the fish sift through it. I think sand makes a particularly good substrate if you are going to have cories or other similar bottom feeders.

There is a possibility that the sand will become compacted and trap gasses created by anaerobic bacteria but there are ways to avoid that (stirring the sand regularly or getting some MTS).
 
weren't you interested in whether or not you can have live sand in an FW tank? I don't know exactly what makes live sand "live" but it sounds cool, lol. Is live sand possible in a FW tank?
 
weren't you interested in whether or not you can have live sand in an FW tank? I don't know exactly what makes live sand "live" but it sounds cool, lol. Is live sand possible in a FW tank?
no, its not (as far as I know). Live sand is called "live" because of the living (SW) bacteria and organisms in the sand that are beneficial to the (SW) aquarium, if it was put in a FW they would all simply die and it would become regular sand basically.
 
I agree with blazey, but I wouldn't risk putting SW live sand in a FW tank. The die-off could cause a cycle and make a mess of things. I find it hard to believe live sand purchased in a LFS is truly "live" after harvesting, shipping, storing in a warehouse, shipping out to a LFS and sitting in an air conditioned store shelf....
Just to go along with blazey, if you have sand in your FW tank, that has gone through a cycle, you have live sand too, because it houses the beneficial bacteria that converts ammonia to nitrItes and into nitrAtes.
I would look into the pool filter sand.
 
could i put a sailfin pleco in with the sand, angels and gourami's??

i am gonna start up a 55 gallon in the upcoming months
 
no, its not (as far as I know). Live sand is called "live" because of the living (SW) bacteria and organisms in the sand that are beneficial to the (SW) aquarium, if it was put in a FW they would all simply die and it would become regular sand basically.

You can use "live sand" in a freshwater aquarium but it has to be
LIVE SAND from a FRESHWATER pond or lake. The organisms are completely different from the ones found in SW. Also the introduction of fw parasites and snails can be a problem if not QT'ed first.
I've done it before using sand (top 3 - 4") from the bottom of Lake Champlain (NY/VT) together with native plants that were already planted in it. Expect a die-off just like SW counterparts. I would say there was about a 70% survival rate for everything after the first 6 months of recovery. An experiment that turned out better than expected.
 
I use black sand but you can use any type thought i wouldnt use the saltwater sand just so something dosnt go wrong. As for the pleco i would be a little worried if he stired up the sand enough and your filter picked up to much you might be buying a new impeller. Or just keep a few on hand for when it happens. That would be my only concern.
 
If a heavier sand is used (like pfs) you don't have to worry about it getting kicked up into the impellar. Stick to heavier sands, it is easier to maintain.
 
Just use regular sand. The term 'live sand' means the bacteria have decided to setup home there. Once you get the normal sand in there the bacteria will colonize on it and BOOM......live sand!
 
ok to set the the story straight - i never said anything about live sand - it was from an old thread

i jsut want sand

i will be using PFS (pool Filter SAND)

should i put a sponge over the filter to keep sand out when i am starting the tank up, likw whne everyting is really cloudy
 
Back
Top Bottom