Sand Or Gravel

[EddieBlade]

Hi all, i am a newbie and this forum has helped alot and recieved alot of information.
 
i have a 10 gallon tank, which will harvest some tropical sharks like red tail shark, some clown loache and maybe one more shark do want to overcrowd my tank.
 
I plan to use live plants, my question is i would love to use sand instead of gravel. I feel the sand make a natural look in a tank, I see alot of people use play sand which is very affordable. My concern is not price but the well being of my fish.
 
i am interested in using Caribsea Super Natural sunset gold, would anybody recommend this or has used this, PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!
 
http/www.caribsea.com/itempage_freshwatersubstrate_supernaturals.htm
 

 

[Liv15]

Clown loaches need to be kept in groups and each one can get like a foot long! The red tailed sharks get like 6" I think, so if you are really concerned about the well being of your fish and want this stock then you will need to get a bigger tank. A 10 gal is too small, i really want clown loaches but my tank is 12 gals and still too small. Sorry I didn't answer your question though. Good luck with your fish.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

That sand is fine. I like the Unipac sands myself so have a look at them, I don't know if it's available in the US though. 
 
Don't take this the wrong way but it seems like you haven't done any research into those fish as none of them would be suitable for a 10 gallon tank. Not even if you just kept one of those fish in the tank, sorry.

 

[fm1978]

I'm a sand fan, myself, but your choice of substrate is the least of your worries, Eddie.
 
You absolutely must reconsider your whole stocking plan, immediately!
 
With a 10g tank you could really on think about much smaller species of fish, guppies, small tetras etc...
 
Hope that helps!

 

[EddieBlade]

I didnt take offense to that at all, like I said I am doing all the research before moving forward with any fish. I am starting with look, because i really havent decided what kind of fish just yet those were suggetions, there are so many tropical fish that are beautiful, if i have to move to a 20 gal. tank to accomadate those fish then i will , that why i am asking the experts here.

 

[EddieBlade]

I love this site, so many knowledgable people here, thank you for everybody help. I have reasearched the red tail shark and the minumum tank size is 50 gallons, clown loaches are 100 gallon tank. Well to be honest i do not think i have the experience to maintain a big tank like that.

 

[Alm0stAwesome]

Clown loaches are a social fish that need to be kept in groups and need at least a 5-6 foot tank. 
 
Red tailed black sharks get 6 inches long and are territorial/aggressive so they tend to chase other fish that enter their area; which depending on the size of the tank, can actually be the whole bottom half of the tank. They need a minimum tank size of maybe 40 gallons?
 
All of the other sharks I can think of get extremely large as well, some of them getting as big as 3 feet long. The ones that stay smaller are still far too big for a 10 gallon and tend to be aggressive. 

Maybe you should start a new thread with your tank size/dimensions, pH/hardness of your local water and people can make suggestions for you.

 

[fm1978]

I'm glad you're listening, that's a very good sign indeed!
 
Believe it or not, the larger the tank, the easier it is to maintain and look after! Get as large a tank as your budget/wife/girlfriend will allow.
 
The reason for this is that sudden increases in the various toxins that can and will be excreted into your tank will dilute more in a larger volume. We don't need to do a water change in the sea for this very reason, hehe!
 
Also, this will give you a greater variety of fishies to chose from!
 
Please read up about fishless cycling before finally deciding on a stocking list!