Sand sand sand!!!

[PereguineFalcon]

Just set up a 45gal. with playsand and i was wondering if anyone has some advice for me pertaining to keeping tanks with sand. I know i have to stir the sand every so often so that it doesn't get pockets of air in there forming anerobic bacteria colonies. Is there anything else i should know? Which fish do good in sand aside from junapari and stingrays? Are there any fish species that DON'T tolerate sand? Any suggestions on what i should add/do to keep it looking good? Wasn't sure about the sand getting sucked into the filters, anyone have problems with this? Hope someone has some input! Thankz for reading!
PF

 

[Loupe]

Corys like sand.

 

[PereguineFalcon]

Sweet, i had heard somewhere that cories do dig diggin in the sand...lol. Guess they like the feeling on their whiskers eh? Thankz man!

 

[Stryker]

I'm new to sand tanks too. Had mine for about a week or so now. From what I've seen all my fish like it

pleco loves it, zebra danios, tetra, guppy. (tanks seen a few residents, started as a hospital tank).

 

[PereguineFalcon]

Nice...any problems with the filter sucking it up? How often do you stir it?

 

[kevin007]

oh yea..kulis, u wont have to stir the sand if u have em..they'll do it for u

 

[drobbins27]

if u get applesnails you dont have to stir. There arent really any fish that wont tolerate sand. I know African Cichlids like it when they build thier nest. My Oscsr also love laying in the sand. No, filter does not get clogged, just make sure you wash sand THOROUGHLY before you put it in tank. Try putting iut in an old pillow case then putting the hose in their with it.

 

[ladynaoko]

Most fish actually prefer sand - plecos, catfish, loaches etc. Bottom feeders tend to prefer it (well, which would you prefer? going along the bottom on a rocky surface or something nice and smooth?). For fish like corys it can also be better for them to have a sand bottom as they can push the sand around while looking for food instead of having to pick through gravel to try and find it.

Just make sure you clean the sand thoroughly before you use it and you should be ok If you need to stir it only do it once a week(?) or so... that's just by running a stick through it (or running your fingers through it). It can be easier to just get fish like kuhlii loaches and corys who'll turn the sand for you

 

[Cheese Specialist]

if u get applesnails you dont have to stir. There arent really any fish that wont tolerate sand. I know African Cichlids like it when they build thier nest. My Oscsr also love laying in the sand. No, filter does not get clogged, just make sure you wash sand THOROUGHLY before you put it in tank. Try putting iut in an old pillow case then putting the hose in their with it.

I think you'll find that it's malaysian trumpet snails that do that. Kuhlis may do too but I would not rely on the, to go all over the tank and would still stir it round anyway.

 

[drobbins27]

if u get applesnails you dont have to stir. There arent really any fish that wont tolerate sand. I know African Cichlids like it when they build thier nest. My Oscsr also love laying in the sand. No, filter does not get clogged, just make sure you wash sand THOROUGHLY before you put it in tank. Try putting iut in an old pillow case then putting the hose in their with it.

I think you'll find that it's malaysian trumpet snails that do that. Kuhlis may do too but I would not rely on the, to go all over the tank and would still stir it round anyway.

My bad, your right. Oh well I tried

 

[PereguineFalcon]

lol...wow, lots of suggestions there. Since i just added the sand and it is kinda clouding the water still, should i turn off my filter to prevent it from getting sucked up in there? Someone suggested using a filter sponge on the intake to stop sand from going into the impeller. Trumpet snails eh? Only way i've been able to get them is by buying liveplants and having them hitchhike in on them. lol. Perhaps i will be able to get some of the LFS to get me some! Thankz! Any larger loaches that would be good for stirring up the sand? Kinda leaning towards large cats and snakeheads...so yeah. Clown loach probably, do dojo loaches get large? I know horse face can get rather large and love to burrow...any other suggestions! Thankz for all the awesome replies! Great stuff! Thankz again! PF

 

[myenigmaself]

I agree with CS, I have kuhlis and they do a good job of digging through the sand, but they only go about 1/4 of an inch deep. If your sand is deeper than that you'll want to stir it yourself. The only time I've had problems with sand in the flter was when I originaly set it up. Once the tank was set up there were no more problems. A word of advice, remove the filter when doing water changes greater than 20%. Any more than that will kick up sand that can potentially be pulled into the filter.

As for fish who like it... well, all my fish seem to prefer sand to gravel. I only have one gravel tank now, and I'm thinking about converting it to sand. My kuhlis love to dig through it, my sand loaches burrow in it, even my frogs and tetras filter through it a little. When my puffers sleep if they're not perched in the plants they're on the sand. And when my puffers eat they're darters, and I imagine they like a mouth full of sand better than a face full of rock.

One note, you'll need a secondary substrate if you want plants with your sand. I've heard some people use a clay base. I use fakies so I don't have much experience with this.

I'll be posting a video of my kuhlis digging through the sand tonight if anyone's interested. It should be posted on this thread.

Good luck with your sand tank PF

 

[myenigmaself]

Clowns or dojo would both be good. Dojo are like giant kuhlis, and get 5-6 inches long from what I've seen. They're also more active than the kuhlis. The cloudiness is usually dust in the water, not actual sand. This shouldn't hurt the filter and should eventually settle/filter out. Putting a sponge on the intake isn't a bad idea, though. Can't hurt

 

[PereguineFalcon]

Thankz so much to everyone, especially myenigmaself, very helpful. Just hope the dojos can keep up with the snakeheads. Perhaps i should try finding more mature ones instead of the smaller inmature ones. Any thoughts on the horseface? I heard once about mooseface loaches...thought it was a joke but i guess they are for real. LOVED the outa tank tubing, very kewl. I was trying to figure out a way to connect several tanks together so the fish could have a large variety of environments to experience but haven't quite figured it out yet. I was thinking of getting several large tuperware containers, cutting a hole in the sides of them in several places and then connecting them together with silicone and pvc tubing. Don't know how well it will work but i'll give it a try some day and letcha know how it works!

 

[Cheese Specialist]

How warm s the water in your tank? Dojos do better in cooler water IMO/IME. Dunno about clown loaches, they get big and it depends what else is in the tank that will also get big.

I personally would turn the filter off to let the sand settle.