Due to a disease my fish have died, and now i am thinking bout changing the tank to a sand bottom. I would just like to hear some comments on any positives and negatives of sand bottom tanks and what type of fish are better or if it doesnt make that big of a difference. Thanks!
Sand Bottom's
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lmw80
Aquarium Advice Addict
Well, first of all, I am sorry to hear about the fish 
Do you have any fish left in the tank now? If not, you might want to consider a complete cleaning of the tank, cycling and all, to ensure your new fish don't catch this disease.
I have sand in my 20 gallon long, and love it. A lot of bottom dwelling fish love it as well, ie, cories, loaches, fw shrimp. etc. When you first buy the sand, dump it into a bucket and rinse it till it washes as clear as you can get it. Then put it in the tank. This will minimize the amount of cloudiness in the water.
Do you have any fish left in the tank now? If not, you might want to consider a complete cleaning of the tank, cycling and all, to ensure your new fish don't catch this disease.I have sand in my 20 gallon long, and love it. A lot of bottom dwelling fish love it as well, ie, cories, loaches, fw shrimp. etc. When you first buy the sand, dump it into a bucket and rinse it till it washes as clear as you can get it. Then put it in the tank. This will minimize the amount of cloudiness in the water.
madchild24
Aquarium Advice Activist
i have sand in all my tanks all the fish i have love it (fish are in sig)
virus
Aquarium Advice Freak
dont forget to get some MTS while your at it because i posted about it berfore, but either you need thouse or you need to stir up the sand because it can for aeonorobic pockets or somthing like that.... just a throw up
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
I love sand and wouldn't go back to gravel. It is so easy to maintain, none of the fish waste sifts its way into the sand like it does gravel. It gives a more natural look to the tank. Definately wash it very well and choose a heavier sand. If you get sand from the lfs, it will be lighter and will float easier. It also tends to cloud easier.
mentallylost
Aquarium Advice Freak
I agree with the sand. I have it in one of my tanks and wish that I would have put it into the other also.
It truly is easier to clean and maintain over gravel.
It's appearance is much more natural.
I can't off hand think of a fish species that would not prefer sand over gravel.
But lmw80 and Fishyfanatic are both right on when they say that you need to rinse it very well before putting in your tank.
It truly is easier to clean and maintain over gravel.
It's appearance is much more natural.
I can't off hand think of a fish species that would not prefer sand over gravel.
But lmw80 and Fishyfanatic are both right on when they say that you need to rinse it very well before putting in your tank.
whitetiger_CJ
Aquarium Advice Freak
I have sand in all my tanks, and I love it, the only downfall I can think of would be that the solid waste stays at the top of the sand. this makes cleaning the tank a more frequent chore, but it is alot easer to perform because of the same trait. so I guess that it all works out for the best.
Toirtis
God of primitive fishes
I am also big on sand....have it in about 60% of my tanks.
greenmaji
Aquarium Advice Addict
Toirtis said:
I like the %'s instead of numbers..LOL.. how many tanks is that Toirtis?!
Is the sand you use a special sand from lfs. I would not think play sand would be good. How coarse or fine should it be. Some fish that I am looking at like sand. Could you make a third of the tank sand and 2/3's smooth gravel for the catfish who like the gravel. How thick a layer of sand are we talking about. 1/4 in, less than a 1/2 or perhaps a 1/2 inch of sand. Actually there are no lfs here except PetsMart and if they have sand it will be outrageously high. I purchased an Filstar XP3 Cannister from a catalog for $99. PetsMart has it tagged $179.00 marked down to $169.00. Freight from catalog was $8.00 total $107.00.
I see greenmagi that you have a KH of 6. Mine always measures about 2.5 dH. Not sure how to convert that number. But it is low. How can I safely raise the KH so that it will hold and not yo-yo.? I would like to have about 4 - 5 KH. My ph is according to my measuring kit, none of which are known to be very accurate, between 7.2 and 7.4. But has been known to drop to 7.0 to 6.8 after it has been held in the bucket for a few days.
Caudelfin
I see greenmagi that you have a KH of 6. Mine always measures about 2.5 dH. Not sure how to convert that number. But it is low. How can I safely raise the KH so that it will hold and not yo-yo.? I would like to have about 4 - 5 KH. My ph is according to my measuring kit, none of which are known to be very accurate, between 7.2 and 7.4. But has been known to drop to 7.0 to 6.8 after it has been held in the bucket for a few days.
Caudelfin
Fishyfanatic
Aquarium Advice Addict
You should have the same depth of sand as you do with gravel. My tanks range from 2 inches to 4 inches in depth. You can buy sand from the lfs, but it will be expensive. I use pool filter sand mixed with black sand. It makes a peppered look so you can't see the fish waste as easy. You don't need much black to do this. I used about 1/2 lb for the 10 gal tank. Mainly just the top later was mixed with black. You could use play sand if you want. Just make sure it is not treated with chemicals. I just used pool filter sand because it didn't cloud my water like the lfs sand did. And it settled faster and didn't clump.
Titus
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I have the same question on the sand types... setting up a new 50gal tank, dont have a filter for it yet... curious what to get for it. have a cascade 300 on my other, love the cannister. Gonna check out that Filstar XP3. I want that white sand look for the new tank though and all I see out there talks about live sand bottoms... wth is the difference. I hear the pool store has good white sand for their filters, gonna get several pounds of that. Just want to know if any special info on what to do for the tank setup, and if there is a min/max depth for the sand. thanks folks, new here so looking forward to hearing from ya.
unfamous
Aquarium Advice Regular
(Titus)-if the sand you are getting is pure white sand then i would say go for it but black sand is really cool looking and still brings a natural look to it
Andos99
Aquarium Advice FINatic
I have a 50 gal tank myself and just added pool filter sand about a month ago and I love it! It was about $8 for a 50 lb bag at my local pool supply store. I bought two because I wasn't sure how much I would use. I ended up adding about 70 lbs, and it's good to keep the left over because you lose a little bit with every gravel vac, so I figure I'll add a few pounds back in every other month or so. The only thing I don't like, is how easily you can see the fish waste, but it's not really a big deal. I think I might try adding some black sand like fishyfanatic suggested.
Just so you don't freak after doing it....my tank took about 24 hours to become crystal clear after the switch out.
Just so you don't freak after doing it....my tank took about 24 hours to become crystal clear after the switch out.
greenmaji
Aquarium Advice Addict
They make black sandblasting sand/grit.. HTH 
Titus
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
----They make black sandblasting sand/grit.. HTH ----
that sounds interesting... gonna check that out. thnx
So... I looked at the black sand thing, Black Beauty and Black Tahitian Moon sand were all that I could find. The black beauty has a lot of negative publicity on it, and the moon stuff is looking pretty damn expensive. pool filter sand looks better and better, maybe with a small mix of the moon stuff.
Any recommendations on filter?
that sounds interesting... gonna check that out. thnx
So... I looked at the black sand thing, Black Beauty and Black Tahitian Moon sand were all that I could find. The black beauty has a lot of negative publicity on it, and the moon stuff is looking pretty damn expensive. pool filter sand looks better and better, maybe with a small mix of the moon stuff.
Any recommendations on filter?
physicsdude
Aquarium Advice Freak
hey, i recommend the rena xp series, i have an xp2 on my 20g planted with S>A> cichlids, and it keeps the water c rystal clear...plus it is quiet- no noise whatsoever...
also, im thinking about setting up a 10 gallon hex planted tank with sand, but am curious as to how the plants roots will spread out in the sand- is this even a problem, and what sort of plants gro best in sand? thanks guys!
also, im thinking about setting up a 10 gallon hex planted tank with sand, but am curious as to how the plants roots will spread out in the sand- is this even a problem, and what sort of plants gro best in sand? thanks guys!
FinkAlmighty
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
I've never used sand in a tank before.. I think I'll take the jump!
One question, does it get sucked up easily when doing a gravel-vac?
One question, does it get sucked up easily when doing a gravel-vac?
PBirdsong
Aquarium Advice FINatic
Wow. This is almost the same conversation I had with everyone a few weeks ago.
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=55919&start=0
I have just normal playsand in my 55 gallon and I think it looks great. There is a quick way to clear up the water in your tank after you have added the sand. As I filled my tank I syphoned it out at the same time. I did this for about two hours just running clean water in as dirty water was syphoned out. My water was cystal clear in no time.
I had a lot of trouble finding any other type of sand other than Play Sand. Even the local pool supply was out of the Pool Filter Sand. And I had zero luck finding Blasting Grit. Must just be Colorado Springs
I posted pictures in the thread I started. HTH
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/viewtopic.php?t=55919&start=0
I have just normal playsand in my 55 gallon and I think it looks great. There is a quick way to clear up the water in your tank after you have added the sand. As I filled my tank I syphoned it out at the same time. I did this for about two hours just running clean water in as dirty water was syphoned out. My water was cystal clear in no time.
I had a lot of trouble finding any other type of sand other than Play Sand. Even the local pool supply was out of the Pool Filter Sand. And I had zero luck finding Blasting Grit. Must just be Colorado Springs
I posted pictures in the thread I started. HTH
Titus
Aquarium Advice Apprentice
ok, so i got a sweet deal on a 50gal cube tank at a petsmart scratch and dent sale. wandering around the isles found two 20# bags of Tahitian Moon, and 1 20# bag of white sand, all three had holes, I convinced them that they were part of the sale and got them 50% off as well. Went with a Filstar XP2, waiting for the cloud to settle in the tank currently. Any recommendations on how to protect the filter from the sand if a fish was to stir up a little sand into the intake? Was thinking panty hose or maybe a small chunk of filter bag.
Also, any ideas where i can find these MTS ? lfs doesnt carry them. thanks for all the help so far though, and that link PBirdsong.
Also, any ideas where i can find these MTS ? lfs doesnt carry them. thanks for all the help so far though, and that link PBirdsong.
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