Play Sand As Substrate

[NewbeeSteve]

Hi

I currently have gravel in my aquarium and am wondering if i could possibly mix play sand (after washing it) straight into my tank and mix in the gravel while the fish are in the tank?

Im thinking this as i do not want to disturb the fish again by doing a complete drainage and risk stressing them out and having to re-cycle the tank.

Also if this is ok would this be a better ground for the smaller plants to root easier whilst having the flow through it aswel??

 

[KittyKat]

You wouldn't have to re-cycle the filter if you replace the substrate, unless you have an undergravel filter.

The two will eventually separate, but that will take some time.

You can do it without stressing the fish, but unless you are careful, you will stress them a lot more than temporarily removing them into something else.

I have found that there is little, if any, difference between using gravel and sand for the plants.

 

[ron4sum1]

Hi

I currently have gravel in my aquarium and am wondering if i could possibly mix play sand (after washing it) straight into my tank and mix in the gravel while the fish are in the tank?

Im thinking this as i do not want to disturb the fish again by doing a complete drainage and risk stressing them out and having to re-cycle the tank.

Also if this is ok would this be a better ground for the smaller plants to root easier whilst having the flow through it aswel??

Why are you changing to sand instead of gravel? Personal choice or do you have some fish that prefers soil? If you have catfish, then it's better to remove every gravel. You don't need to do a complete drainage. Just remove 40% water and start scooping the gravel. I would advice to remove everything, including the filter and the heater. Sand can get lodged in the filter, thus damaging it. If you can't remove the fish, try to be gentle as possible. Try to make sure the filter media is always soaked in the old aquarium water (some water removed from the aquarium), never tap water, since bacteria might die.

You can get an empty bottle and fill it with sand. Put it in the water so the bottle gets filled with water, so the air between the sand goes off. Rotate it and start pouring the sand to the bottom. The "mouth" of the bottle must be quite close to the bottom to reduce clouding. As the sand goes to the bottom, water rushes inside the bottle (sand out and water in). So, as the sand leaves the bottle, it gets extra cleaning and the dirt will stay on top of the flipped bottle. Due to this, it will take shorter before your sand get settled, and you can start putting your equipments back.

Plants attach better to sand. I was just going to do a substrate change later on today. Gravel damages the roots of the plants, and it's hard to keep them stuck in the gravel. So, every time I change water, plants always get removed and float, and it's annoying to keep on putting them back in the gravel! So, to prevent this, you shouldn't disturb the gravel (no vacuuming), but uneaten foods gets stuck in between the pits! So it's quite of a compromise

 

[NewbeeSteve]

Ok thanks, that sounds better i do have a small tank i can put them in whilst i am doing it.

The decision for sand was that some of the plants vallis for instance keeps getting moved by my catfish as he thrashes around burying himself under the wood. The sand was mearly to give better anchorage to try and stop that from happening and to brighten the tank up a bit.

Thanks for the help though much appreciated.

 

[willowstwin]

please listen to ron about his tip. And please take the fish out (they'll thank u for it later).

I added play sand yesterday that (I thought) had been thoroughly washed. I was as gentle as possible but the water still went cloudy. I did a huge water change after an hour and a half (to let it settle) and when I came into work this morning, I had 3 fish dead and 1 of the others isn't looking too good

So please take the fish out, it will stress them less in the long run.

 

[NewbeeSteve]

Definatly taking the fish out now. Im going to try and keep 50% or more of the tank water to put straight back in after and the filter media also in the water. Should this speed up the cycling of the new water?

effectively could i just take 50% water out and leave the rest in the tank? when would it be best to turn the pump back on? after the sand has settled i would amagine?

 

[ron4sum1]

Definatly taking the fish out now. Im going to try and keep 50% or more of the tank water to put straight back in after and the filter media also in the water. Should this speed up the cycling of the new water?

effectively could i just take 50% water out and leave the rest in the tank? when would it be best to turn the pump back on? after the sand has settled i would amagine?

You don't have to put the old water back in ! Bacteria don't grow on water, they do every where in the tank (wall, sand, gravel etc.) Just make sure that the water you put in the aquarium has been de-chlorinised (since chlorine kills bacteria ). Note: Cycling is when you have enough bacteria in your filter that helps remove ammonia, so water is not toxic to fish. Why would you leave 50% water in the aquarium ? Yea, you can turn the pump back when the sand's settled

 

[NewbeeSteve]

Ive always thought that the water is best kept so the new water can balance out with it and it will contain less chlorine etc. Thanks again

 

[KittyKat]

Should this speed up the cycling of the new water?

The cycling is not of the water, but of the filter media. That is where the vast majority of the bacteria live, which is why changing water does not harm the tank.

BUT if your tap water has a very different pH and hardness from your tank water, then that can harm the fish, so unless you know that all those are the same, it is best to keep as much water as possible.

 

[ron4sum1]

I used to think that too ! I thought bacteria lived in the water and adding the bottled bacteria helps. But then, how do those bacteria survive in the bottle that cost like £8 each without any ammonia source. It's good I helped a bit

Good luck!

 

[KittyKat]

Ive always thought that the water is best kept so the new water can balance out with it and it will contain less chlorine etc.

You should be removing chlorine and chloramine with a dechlorinator, preferably one which deals with ammonia, if your water contains chloramine. Both of those are harmful to the fish and filter.

 

[Katch]

Use a good conditioner and you can do 100% water changes with no ill effect on your stock (assuming you keep you tank generally well mantained and its pH is close to that of your tap water - look up old tank syndrome for more info)

Make sure you turn any power filter off when you put the sand in - it will kill the pump if it gets in there.

As others have said; best to find somewhere for your fish while you change the substrate. A couple of big buckets will do and they are cheap at the supermarket. Cover them with a towel to keep the temp up a bit and stop jumpers. Your fish would be fine for hours in them.

I would rinse the sand first in a bucket to get the dust out and then mix it 50/50 with the gravel you have - this will make a good substrate for root systems. Then finsh off by capping with just sand to get the look. You will always end up with a bit of gravel surfacing but don't worry about it.

 

[NewbeeSteve]

I have fresh start which removes chlorine and something else, and biological filter booster which i put in everytime i change the water. Its something like 2ml of fresh start to every 60 litres and the filter booster is 1ml every 30litres.

Thats what i will do then. Thanks everyone

 

[ron4sum1]

Then finsh off by capping with just sand to get the look. You will always end up with a bit of gravel surfacing but don't worry about it.

I thought using gravel underneath is bad You can get anaerobic bacteria growing in there, which produces a lot of toxins for fish. That's why you have to make sure the substrate is always disturbed.

 

[Katch]

I use a clay based cat litter mixed with sand and then capped with sand. Never had a problem with it - can't see that it'd be any different with gravel and sand... someone correct me if I'm wrong.