Sand V Pebbles

[aldaleel]

About six months ago I changed from pebbles to sand for my 200 litre tropical tank. Since than I have had two problems:

- The fish in my tank especially three clown loaches and two Yoyo tend to push the sand around and mostly to the back of the tank leaving the front of the tank bare

- The water tends to become cloudy quite quickly maybe due to the sand being moved around. I have a fluval 203 external filter. I have noticed that when I clean the filter it has a lot of deposit of sand in it.

Any advice?

I am thinking of changing back to pebbles again.

 

[ZoddyZod]

there's no fix to what the fish are doing but how close is your filter intake to the sand? Maybe try raising it so it's not near enough to suck it up.

Did you give the sand a really good wash before using it? If you didn't there may still be a lot of dust in the tank which is disturbed by the fish and then making the water cloudy.

 

[Tizer]

how deep is the sand? how far away is your intake tube of the filter from the sand? can it be moved up higher ? mine are about 5/6 inches from the sand as i was a little worried about playsand being sucked up. You could put some slate under the filter intakes too, might help it a bit.

Unfortunately loaches like to dig around, not much you can do about that, i wouldnt go back to pebbles and spoil their fun!

 

[Hermithall]

Not a fan of sand myself for the same reasons you've described - my fish digging it around too easily and especially it entering the filter systems (sand really does get everywhere!). I also found it impractical when it came to vaccumning during partial water changes. Every bit of detritus seemed to stick out like a sore thumb on the surface of my sand and I always thought it looked unsightly under the glare of full lighting. Mixture of personal taste, practicality and lack of interest in planted tanks forgoes my need for sand and keeps me using gravel substrates - maybe it's just the same for you. You could try pea grit, which is halfway between gravel and sand or try the Pettex range of roman gravel which is also fairly fine grade and comes in a range of natural colours, so you could probably emulate a sandy look but keep the robust qualities of gravel.

 

[fluttermoth]

Please don't change it back; the happiness and welfare of your fish should be your first priority, and loaches prefer sand. The cloudiness will go in time, and as for the fish re-arranging it; well, it's their home, not yours; how would you like it if your fish re-arranged your living room for you?

 

[Davehutton92]

Please don't change it back; the happiness and welfare of your fish should be your first priority, and loaches prefer sand. The cloudiness will go in time, and as for the fish re-arranging it; well, it's their home, not yours; how would you like it if your fish re-arranged your living room for you?

very well said

 

[Rickzayne]

Lol!

It'll settle down after a bit...

Put stones at the front?

 

[Hermithall]

I think we're all already playing God by keeping fish in glass houses in the first place! Sometimes sand isn't practical.

 

[fluttermoth]

I think we're all already playing God by keeping fish in glass houses in the first place!

Yes, but that doesn't mean we should deny them the opportunity to express their natural behaviours for our convenience.

Sometimes sand isn't practical.

I've never, ever come across a tank that couldn't have a sand substrate if it was better for the fish. Yes, some fish shouldn't be kept with sand (goldies, for instance), but if that's what they require, then that's what we should give them.

 

[Hermithall]

 

[aldaleel]

Thank you all for your comments and advice. The sand was washed and cleaned at the start. I had no problem with the sand in the filter for the first two months but since the fish started pushing the sand to the back of the aquarium I started finding the sand in the filter. I did lift the in take higher which is currently around 4" above the sand but still find quite a lot of deposits of sand in the filter. While I accept that the clown loaches like the sand there are other fish in my tank which might not appreciate all the problems this is causing.

I will think about the sand and give it another month or so before making a final decision whether to remove it or not.