Im Sick And Tired, Time To Go For Sand.

[NightStalker]

I was vacumming the gravel and when i thought i was done i moved my hand around the gravel abit and what do you know alot of dirty whatever it is.

Im kind of tired of the trash going under the gravel, i cant completely clean it in one day so i need to do it over a span of 2 days and usually 40% of the water is removed.

To the point i like sand and i heard that food and other garbage doesnt sink under like they do in gravel, so my question is which is better? and will it make my life easier?

55 Gallon

3x Bala
2x Mollie
6x Cory
7x Ghost Shrimp
1x Tiger Plec
1x Rubbernose Plec
1x snail
7x Tiger barbs
1x Yellow tetra
5x Clams

That should be all of them. I dont mind being careful while cleaning sand, i just dont want any nasty surprises my gravel tends to give me.

 

[lordotterby]

I now want to change the gravel in my tank to sand, just don't want the nasty supprises as you say.

 

[fishboy619]

i think sand is easier to clean, holding the tube just above the sand will suck the crap out, and leave the sand.its better for most bottom dwellers and if feeding live bloodworms, can just be placed into the tank, as they wont disapear into the gravel. the fish you have now will be fine with sand, some like the clams and cories will be much happier with sand.
just another question, sorry to go off the topic, how hard is it keeping clams?
and on a final note; not to be rude, but i think the bala sharks will need a bigger tank. ive heard they grow huge and like to be kept in numbers.

 

[three-fingers]

Clams aren't too hard to keep, but their shells will corrode in acidic water (the the pH must be over 7) and they require special targeted feeding if your going to be putting them in a community tank. Get some marine filter feeding invertebrate food and squirt it into their mouth when it's open (with a syringe or pippette), or mix Spirulina powder or hobby microzell with some water and do the same.
This feeding can be hard if you have deep sand, as they will bury into it and hide, so you will need to search around with your hand in the sand every time you

 

[Chrispixx]

Im kind of tired of the trash going under the gravel, i cant completely clean it in one day so i need to do it over a span of 2 days and usually 40% of the water is removed.

If the poop and trash go between and under the gravel it is too big. If the gravel does not lift up in the tube when you vaccum it is too heavy.

I had this same problem some time ago, i had gravel that was about the size of a shelled peanut, it was too big and too heavy to clean right, and took too much water out of the tank in the process.

I recently went to a finer gravel which is also a lot lighter (weight wise) and it made a world of difference. Now the python tube blasts right through it, and the gravel lifts up in the tube really well and does not miss anything. Before it was hard to even move the tube around in the gravel. Now its like a hot knife through butter.





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