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Sand Vs. Gravel

Different sands have different happenings. Some sand is very bad and can clog, mess up and 'milk' the water :blink: . :crazy: But mine doesn't seem to do anything like explained from some. Best to buy from the lfs. I bought mine by seeing it on display with eels. Thats what made me buy it.
 
:fun: My ten gall community tank is mainly gravel with an area at one side with coarse sand for my corries, it is yellow sand and I have absolutely no probs with it ... no loss of water quality, no colour leakage and it doesn't go up the vacuum. the tank has an overall beachy look ... very natural and the rummies look great against the sandy area and the corries spend hours sifting it. I like the coarse one because the cories actually take it in and pass it out through their gills so anything finer would do them damage maybe.My advice would be go for it but don't go crazy with it ... if it works ok you can always add more later. I buy ready washed . you can put it in a poly bag wet it well put the bag at the bottom and let it spill out slowly. it settles really quickly. give it a go! :*
 
Eelzor said:
Different sands have different happenings. Some sand is very bad and can clog, mess up and 'milk' the water :blink: . :crazy: But mine doesn't seem to do anything like explained from some.
Click to expand...
[/QUOTE]hello, hi bob, well i think elzor finished our arguement,

so im sorry! :)
 
Woodpip said:
:fun: My ten gall community tank is mainly gravel with an area at one side with coarse sand for my corries, it is yellow sand and I have absolutely no probs with it ... no loss of water quality, no colour leakage and it doesn't go up the vacuum. the tank has an overall beachy look ... very natural and the rummies look great against the sandy area and the corries spend hours sifting it. I like the coarse one because the cories actually take it in and pass it out through their gills so anything finer would do them damage maybe.My advice would be go for it but don't go crazy with it ... if it works ok you can always add more later. I buy ready washed . you can put it in a poly bag wet it well put the bag at the bottom and let it spill out slowly. it settles really quickly. give it a go! :*
Click to expand...
The "settles really quickly" part is exactly like mine. When i first got it i thought it would take a while to settle, but the good sands (like yours and mine it seems) seem to do quite well.
 
I would just add one thought to the discussion on sand. It is especially important with sand not to use too much. Most experienced aquarists recommend that sand be no more than a half inch deep and I've read some very experienced guys that talk about depths of 10 to 15 mm. Since sand compacts much tighter than gravel, it can develop anaerobic areas (dead spots) which produce hydrogen sulfide gas. When those areas are disturbed, the highly water soluble gas is released and absorbed and can be fatal to fish. If you have the problem, you'll usually notice a sulfur smell which some describe as rotten eggs. Keeping your sand depth relatively shallow and raking the sand (as has been suggested) allows water (and oxygen) to get to those potential problem spots and will avoid the problem.

For anyone interested, I purchase Art Rock sand at my local LFS. It comes in colors (I prefer the natural), different grain sizes, and according to the bag, it is "epoxy coated, non-toxic, safe for plants and fish, fresh or saltwater, and color fast". I've had no problem with it floating and it sinks immediately, even when disturbed. Like many have said, the key is to wash it well before putting it in your tank. Based on the half inch idea above, I filled a 20g with about eight or nine pounds and it comes in 10 pound bags.

We all have different tastes and expectations from our tanks but I find sand adds a beautiful dimension, is cleaner than gravel, and bottom dwellers clearly prefer it. :cool:
 
Yes, once I got that "rotten egg" smell and i knew something was wrong from then, so I cleaned it before I put it in the 50 gallon and seems fine now. Get it? fine? BAH! god I'm lame. :sad:
 
i heard from the LFS guy that black sand (not dyed, looks more like crystals) lower pH which would be good for most aquarium fish except for example, african cichlids. if u want hard n alkaline water consider using coral sand (smashed corals really..)
 
try to get washed sand and even then, rinse it a few times to get visible dirt n scraps out. if possble, soak it in water overnight.
 
hey joshua, I was looking for sand like that. But couldn't seem to find any "acidic sand". I don't think my sand alters my pH at all. I tested the normal water and the water from my tank, so, same diff. -_-
 
Hey all, I took the "plunge" today (Get it? Water, tank, plunge? Ah well, at least I can take comfort that my pun was lamer the Eelzor's! :p )

I started my new ten gallon tank up today using some very nice looking course grain sand as a substrate. Coloring wise, it kind of reminds me of pale brown sugar...

Anyway, it was still pretty cloudy when I left, hopefully it will be much clearer when I get home this morning after work. I definitely like how it looks in the tank. All those beautifull little hills and wave patterns. Much, much more natural and aesthitic pleasing then gravel. I've added a very nice piece of arched driftwood to the tank to act as focal point. The darkness of the wood contrasts nicely with the sand. Now I just need to find some nice plants that will look good with the sand...

Oooh! I can't wait till it cycles so I can put my corys in!!!


Actually, if anyone could recommend some nice aquatic plants that would mix well with my current sand and driftwood motif, please let me know. I will add that I would prefer to avoid Cabomba and Pennywort since I already have those growing in my twelve gallon tank. The Camboba it a bit messier then I'd like and the Pennywort is way to sensitive to water conditions. Still, I'm all ears to whatever suggestions ya'll have to offer (...oh god...I just typed "ya'll. I've officially been living in the south to long :X )
 
Laughncat said:
Hey all, I took the "plunge" today (Get it? Water, tank, plunge? Ah well, at least I can take comfort that my pun was lamer the Eelzor's! :p )
Click to expand...
:p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p :p !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Gald to see you are going ok with sand, lc! Not sure about plants, but the catfish will love it. I'm putting in 2 columbian sharks in mine soon.!! :D
 
I have been reasearching and I think that anything in gravel can grow in sand, although in not completely sure. But wouldn't plants being in the sand be bad? Because you have to move the sand around to stop it from forming bad bacteria, so would the plants grow without the nasty bacteria doing god-knows-what to it? I would just go plastic plants. :D
 
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