To sand or not to sand?

[KreativJustin]

I should be getting a new tank here in within a month or so... so planning ahead for it. I'm going to be buying probably a 30gal for a 'QA' tank in my office, building a custom stand for it and going to whole 9 yards, and then putting the new fish in there for a month. If I do end up buying a 110gal (I want one so bad) then my current 50 will be a QA tank.

Well, I want black or white sand at the bottom, and then coat it with some dark blue tank pebbles. I've heard from a friend that sand will tear up your filtration system, how true is this? I really like the look of sand. I was only thinking about an 1-2 inches of sand at the bottom. I might not go with the pebbles, but I like the multilayer look..

anyone had bad experiences with aquarium sand?

[carey]

When I first put the sand in my tank it clogged up 2 filters lickety split. I had to clean put the impellers i don't know how many times. I actually think I broke an AC50 with the sand. I had to return it and ended up with an AC70 that also clogged up with sand.

After about a week though it was running smoothly and no clogs since the first few days. Cleaning it is also an issue as you just have to flit across the top of the sand layer with your vac tube or else you'll suck up sand.

Challenging at first, I don't regret putting it in.

[bruinsbro1997]

Personally I have never had any problems with sand. That said there are a bunch of plants in the sand side of my tank (the other side is gravel) which are probably keeping the sand down.

[skiweeangel]

I have one 55gal with sand and the other with gravel. Personally I would go for sand. It looks nice and I have had no problems with my banana plants in either tank. Although they grow in almost anything!

If the people had sand eat up their filters it is, IMO, most likely because their filter intake was right at the bottom. If you place it 2in above your substrate you should have minimal problems with that. And if you are going to be kicking up a lot of sand into the water by planting or rearranging/adding/subtracting elements to your tank or anything else, just turn the filter off until most of it settles back down.

If you find that your filter intake tube is too long and is not set up for adjustment, measure the desired length and cut off a little at the top. I have known many people to do just that.

Hope this was helpful and good luck with everything. Post pictures! I always love to see other's tanks. And let me know what you decide in the long run.