Juventus
Aquarium Advice Regular
- Joined
- Apr 26, 2013
- Messages
- 61
WhT do u gius reccomend for a 40 gallon freshwaer , sand ir gravel substance ?
Nitrates are what is produced after beneficial bacteria consume ammonia. All the nasty that collects in gravel just keeps produce nitrates which are toxic to fish and decrease water quality. These are removed during water changes. As for cleaning sand is easier in my opinion because all the poop and food settles on top. You just hover the vaccum over the sand it sucks the nasty up and leaves the sand. There is a great video on YouTube just search "vacuuming sand in aquarium". As for fish preference most fish that actually dig and would have a preference (mostly cichlids) would prefer sand. I switched all my tanks to sand (all six of them) to sand. IMO a way better choice.
You could do both, I'm thinking about going 1/2&1/2 in my 45 long. Although, just for the sake of advantages for live plants.
Yeah, I was thinking along the lines of a diagonal splitting it between the different substrates.
Yeah, I was thinking along the lines of a diagonal splitting it between the different substrates.
Kind of like this?
Sand all the way for me. It really is easier to clean. All you have to do is swirl the water about 1/4" - 1/2" above the sand - the detritus will come right up. You don't even have to have a vacuum; any airline will do sine you're not trying to lift up gravel. I use a small airline for spot cleaning in between water changes and a larger one for the weekly wc. With the small one you can put a valve in the line and open and close as needed. You can take your time without worrying about taking out too much water. Either way, sand is awesome.