Basic Sand Care

[MissT]

Hi

I am still in the (very) beginner stages of setting up my tank and I have (almost) been convinced to go with sand rather than gravel.
How do I look after the sand?
My friend and aquarium 'expert' is trying to lead me onto gravel as it's easier to look after using a gravel cleaner, but I think that sand is nicer to look at and as I am having a couple of Bristlenose, nicer on them.
I am put off of sand by the fact that dirt etc stays on the surface of the sand and you can get nasty pockets of gas etc. How do I combat this?

Can someone give me an idiot's guide to sand care? (With me being the idiot)!

 

[Juggler75]

From my experience (others may vary);

Play sand is fine.
With enough flow, visable poo and other dirt doesn't seem to stay on the surface for long but gets blown to either the filter intake or another collection point (easy to keep clean) but I don't have a bn plec.

I have read various opinions about the actual danger of any anaerobic pockets, but the consesus does seem to be that the deeper the bed the more likely it is to occur if the bed is not agitated (I banked mine at the back so it is quite deep) so I use MTS snails to keep the sand turning over. I do sometimes see darker areas when viewing from the front but within a day they are gone and I have had no noticible effects on the tank. Whether this is proof that they dissapate naturally overtime and pose no danger or whether the snails have broken them down I cannot say.

I actually prefer the look of sand than gravel (on top of its benefits for corys etc) and can't see a time I would go with gravel, although black sand is a different case.

HTH

 

[SamWiseOG]

http/www.ehow.com/video_5226054_clean-sand-fish-tank.html

 

[MissT]

Thanks, both of those have helped a lot.
Juggler75, I was thinking of having some Malaysian Trumpets but when researching them, found that they just breed uncontrollably. Do you find this to be the case? And you now have me really intrigued about the black sand............

 

[The Taffy Apple]

Good evening Miss T..

I have both types of substrate in each tank. I have bright/dull blue pea sized gravel (mixed with a little crushed coral) in my 30L and one and a half to two inches of light sand in my larger tank. Believe me, the sand really does look so much nicer! It is simple to clean once you learn how to do it and alot of bottom feeders (Corys in particular) LOVE the stuff
On the other hand,are you thinking of adding plants? Ones which may require rooting? I have found that certain plants do better in gravel when first starting off a tank (what little waste of food and poop fell through the gravel, feeding the roots).
The fact you mention your intention to have some B.N Plecs suggests it is a fair sized tank, which IMHO would look sooo much better with sand than gravel.

Terry.

PS; Black sand, from what i have learnt, can be very expensive.. but yes, it looks fantastic !

 

[Juggler75]

I think they only breed out of control when there is excess food on the go. I also have assassin snails to help and haven't noticed them becoming a pest

 

[eaglesaquarium]

The pockets of gas thing is far overblown. It isn't as issue.

Yes the dirt can build up on sand a bit, but that helps keep you on top of regular maintenance. You won't let it go if you see the dirt. With gravel the dirt builds up and you don't even know how much there is. Gravel vaccing won't get it all.


To decrease the amount of dirt build up on the sand you can always increase the water circulation, or vac more frequently. I have sand and wouldn't consider gravel now. It is VERY easy to look after! It's also ideal for corys, although you didn't mention wanting them.

 

[MissT]

The tank is 150L the plants are coming from a friend who just said that they need to be tied to bogwood. Plants were somethng I was hoping to progress to after I am satisfied that I can keep fish alive for a reasonable amount of time! So for the moment they are not a be-all end-all for me.

Would it be recommended to have assasin snails also? Not sure how I feel about that................. However, I don't want any others getting out of control.

I am still in the stages of researching fish types and what goes well and it's just that my friend was offering 1 or 2 of her BN Plecs and seeing as I want bottom dwellers I thought, why not?

 

[Juggler75]

Try lfs and garden centres and see if they can give you some mts. Give them a couple of weeks then introduce assassins if they are breeding out of control?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Depending on the type of plant you are growing whether it should be in the substrate on tied on to something. Ultimately, plants like amazon swords need to be in the substrate, but others like java fern or anubias need to be tied to something else, they need their rhizome above the substrate.


Check out the planted section for more information about plants and plant issues. Personally, I understand the thought process of wanting to try your hand with fish before plants. BUT, ultimately, it will be better for your fish (and you) to go with plants and fish simultaneously. Ultimately, live plants are better for fish, in my experience. First, they will compete for nutrients with algae. Second, they are safer for fish. Three, they look WAY better than fake plants, even though fake plants have come a long way. Four, they are cheaper than fake plants in the long run. For example, I bought anacharis and have been able to split it multiple times already to fill in. I also bought some ferns which have generated plantlets, and enabled me to cut them off and spread them around as well. The plants also will grow in naturally. The list goes on and on.


Ultimately, the folks in the planted section can give you great tips on which plants do well for a beginner. They will also help you with things like your lighting set-up, a list of plants that fit your stocking plan. And if you run into any trouble, they can help you fix it.


MTS aren't necessary. The myth about gas build-ups is greatly exaggerated and aren't worth the amount of concern that you are giving it. I commend your interest in getting everything just right, but the reality is that I don't believe that anyone has ever lost a fish to a gas build-up in their sand. The easiest solution to not having any gas build-up is just to keep the sand thin - less than 3 inches deep. Second, you can give it a quick stir when cleaning the tank and it will eliminate the possibility of a build-up.