Can I Switch To Sand?

[fishdawg]

i have a 30g tropical community tank currently with rock.
i have:
5: platys
6: black skirt tetras
8: corys
1: angel
1: common pleco
3: guppies
and some grass plants.

would this sand be ok?
http/www.petsmart.com/global/product_det...mp;N=2&Ne=3

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

Yeeeeeeeep! specially for the corys blacks abit dark dont you think? once you've done a pic would be appriciated coz im also wanting to change to sand but i dont know which sand to choooooooooose!!

 

[fishdawg]

ok il put a pic up but im ordering the sand this week soo. it will be a wile. i want black sand because i have 3 large white rocks in tank about 4 lb each that sparkle so it will look great.

 

[chibi]

Good luck! Be sure to do plenty of water changes. I think black sand with little grains of blue is beautiful! Can't wait to see what you have planned.

 

[pinkdolphin_113]

yea it would acctually. what angel you got? a silver would look amazing with black sand and white rocks
also what corys you got? it would be great if you has swartzi lol goin for the black and white effect

 

[Torrean]

you can blend sands too. Mix in some play sand. It'll give a different effect...not sure how that would look with tahitian moon but I know play and all purpose looks more natural thatn just play sand.

 

[Stacy84]

Just be careful with sand! I have black sand and i love the way it looks but I have problems with my filters a whisper and a penguin biowheel catching the sand and obstructing the way the magnetic motor functions. So about once every month i end up taking about one or both of the filters and rinsing the sand out. You just have to make sure you stay on top of it because the sand prevents the impellar from spinning and can burn the motor out. Also you have to be careful to make sure you mix the sand every water change to prevent poisonous gas pockets from forming. Overall I LOVE my sand, it is just a little bit more maintenance and it bums me out to see how much gets washed down the drain during my attempts to clean it. GOOD LUCK!! Bubblers work great in sand too! My puffer, scat and mono love them!

 

[Torrean]

bubblers is probably the reason your having such problems with your impellers. Bubbles tend to suspend sand in the water allowing the filter to suck it up. Try putting a layer of gravel over your bubblers...this should reduce your sand problems. I am planning on making a sand catcher for my girlfriends tank. She is having the same problem you are.

 

[fishdawg]

my angel is a silver

my corys are
3- albino
3- spotted
2- light colored pepperd.

 

[Stacy84]

bubblers is probably the reason your having such problems with your impellers. Bubbles tend to suspend sand in the water allowing the filter to suck it up. Try putting a layer of gravel over your bubblers...this should reduce your sand problems. I am planning on making a sand catcher for my girlfriends tank. She is having the same problem you are.

Good advice! I did have this problem before the bubblers were used but i can see how they would increase the problem. What is a sand catcher? does it go in the filter?

 

[Torrean]

no it's an idea I came up with to fix a problem. It's a piece or a couple pieces of pottery that go across the bubbler. The bubbles go up into a chamber and hit a surface. After that the bubbles hit another surface and slip out of the pottery. I'm hoping that this will break the flow enough for the bubbles to drop any grains of sand back onto the ground. We'll see. I'm gonna try it out in a couple weeks. PM me if you want me to keep you up to date on how it turns out.

 

[emmzer]

no it's an idea I came up with to fix a problem. It's a piece or a couple pieces of pottery that go across the bubbler. The bubbles go up into a chamber and hit a surface. After that the bubbles hit another surface and slip out of the pottery. I'm hoping that this will break the flow enough for the bubbles to drop any grains of sand back onto the ground. We'll see. I'm gonna try it out in a couple weeks. PM me if you want me to keep you up to date on how it turns out.

newbie question...my other half wants to switch to sand but how do i clean it...gravel is a mission as it is saving 4 an electric cleaner yay!!

 

[Torrean]

simply hover your gravel vaccum 1/2" above the sand. It'll suck all the crud up along with a very small amount of sand. It's not too hard but you do have to practice a bit. I wrote a topic about changing from sand to gravel maybe it'll help you out.

link to a thread with the link and several other sand links in it.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=141592

direct link to changing from sand to gravel
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=71021

 

[emmzer]

simply hover your gravel vaccum 1/2" above the sand. It'll suck all the crud up along with a very small amount of sand. It's not too hard but you do have to practice a bit. I wrote a topic about changing from sand to gravel maybe it'll help you out.

link to a thread with the link and several other sand links in it.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=141592

direct link to changing from sand to gravel
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=71021

thanks really helpful