Sand ...?

[jayling]

Hello...

Just wondering if its ok to put sand ontop of gravel... i read the
sand topic and i just wanted to see if its fine to put sand directly on top
of gravel. or should i take the gravel out and then put sand in...

Thanks
Yours in Fish

 

[Squid]

For me, i guess it would depend on how much gravel there already was, and how much sand you were intending on putting in. As with flour i guess, give it a shake and the bigger lumps come to the top. In your case it might be the gravel. If the gravel layer is not too thick, and you put enough sand in, it might be ok.

Anyone know if putting sand on top of used gravel would have any issues with anerobic gas/bacteria or whatever it is. (spelling is a bit iffy too).

Squid.

 

[jayling]

For me, i guess it would depend on how much gravel there already was, and how much sand you were intending on putting in. As with flour i guess, give it a shake and the bigger lumps come to the top. In your case it might be the gravel. If the gravel layer is not too thick, and you put enough sand in, it might be ok.

Anyone know if putting sand on top of used gravel would have any issues with anerobic gas/bacteria or whatever it is. (spelling is a bit iffy too).

Squid.

there is about 1 and a half inch of gravel intending on putting as much sand as neccessary if its possible.
Thanks
Yours In Fish

 

[Squid]

Sorry, few more things to consider.. (just in my opinion)

How long has the tank been up and running?
What fish do you have in the tank?
Any plans to add many real plants?

Personally, I would be tempted to take all the gravel out and put in the sand. I know its a big job, but i think you would be more satisfied in the end.
My only concern with doing that is that I would worry about upsetting the maturity/balance of the tank. Gravel and all components within a tank end up with some sort of bio film which can be found in mature tanks. This is part of what makes a tank mature, over and above the bacteria being present for the nitrogen cycle. This explains my question about the maturity of the tank, and which fish you have in there. Are any of the fish particularily sensitive.

Finally, if you are planning to put any real plants into the tank, then its a good opportunity to put something like first layer laterite in there, or something which would encourage plant growth in the substrate.

An inch and a half of gravel underneath sand might be quite a lot. First layer laterite looks a bit like gravel, but you only have a thin layer which reduces the amount that makes its way to the surface, but with an inch and a half there may be more than an issue. My BN plec is the one that affects that, as he flaps away in the sand and causes ditches.. bah! house wrecker.

Hope that helps
Squid

 

[jayling]

Sorry, few more things to consider.. (just in my opinion)

How long has the tank been up and running?
What fish do you have in the tank?
Any plans to add many real plants?

I have no fish yet...
Tank has been running nearly 5 days..
I have a bit of cabomba..(plant)

this is my tank...

u still think i take out all the gravel.. or maybe i could just take out half or so...

thanks for you help...

 

[Miss Wiggle]

depends what look you wanna go for, if you want to do it and have clearly defined layers then basically don't bother, if you don't mind that eventually they will get all mixed up and you'll have a sort of pebbley beach type effect then by all means leave some gravel in with the sand

 

[Squid]

depends what look you wanna go for, if you want to do it and have clearly defined layers then basically don't bother, if you don't mind that eventually they will get all mixed up and you'll have a sort of pebbley beach type effect then by all means leave some gravel in with the sand

What she said


If you have no fish yet, you have the all clear to go for it on the complete change front....

TBH, i looks quite good as it is.! but.. if you are going to wish you had changed to sand later on, then do it now and not later..!

Squid

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yeah it'll be easier and safer to do it now than later when you have fish so if your not sure about it now, chances are you really won't be happy with it in 6 months, and you'll then have a harder job to change it than you do now.

 

[jayling]

hey guys...
i heard someone suggest that take some gravel out of front and put in sand the front then cover
back gravel with sand. apparently it looks very natural..

Do u think its a good idea?

 

[Squid]

Might look good.. That comes down to personal taste I have seen some tanks that have mixed it to give a shore effect that have looked quite good.

Squid

 

[methodmza_uk]

I have gravel and sand in my Rekord 96. I used the gravel under the sand to shape it abit. Everything seems fine in my tank. All fish healthy, plants are growing fine.

I used about 1 inch of gravel then about half an inch of sand. It does look quite cool when some of the gravel comes through. Again its personal preference. I dont think it will cause problems for you anyway, it hasnt for me. YET!!

 

[chickenlady]

I added sand to my original gravel - and find now that the gravel has come to the top in some areas but other larger areas are still sandy (I used white sand). I actually like the effect - the white sand accentuates the colour of the gravel.

In time, though, I'm sure it will all mix together.