Sand in my 10 gallon

[coldfish91]

I recently put in sand in my 10 gallon aquarium instead of gravel. So far everything looks great. I have not put any fish in the tank yet because i wanted to see how the sand would work out. I have a basic AquaClear filter with the mechanical, biological, and chemical filter inserts. Will the sand affect the efficiency and overall condition of the power filter?? And if not what would be some good "cleaner" organisms i could add??

 

[AndiH]

Sand shouldnt affect the filter, as long as you turn it off when kicking up alot of grains, i.e., when arranging ornaments/plants. Depending on the fish you keep, ghost shrimp work well and I think an oto or two might, but I'd bow to others' opinions on the otos.

 

[OrangeCones]

Otos need a mature, planted, stable tank and should be kept in groups of 5 or more. A 10gallon is a bit small in my opinion.

 

[coldfish91]

Ok. Thanks!

 

[AndiH]

Ahh thanks OC. I thought I'd read that but was not awake enough to go look it up.

 

[tropicalcrazy]

make sure before you add fish to cycle your tank too. if you dont know how click on the search button and input how to cycle a tank. and for the fishes sake, do a fishless cycle. patience is a virture but it is all worth it in the future. takes about a month to cycle

 

[tropicalcrazy]

and OC correct me if im wrong but wont the oto's eat the sand?

do keep in mind before you get any fish that you do your research and make sure they are compatible with sand. some fish arent good with sand because they will eat it and then cant digest it. there are A LOT of fish that would be good with sand though

 

[tropicalcrazy]

and like AndiH said, make sure when you do ANYTHING inside your tank or add water, you are very gentle and patient to not stir up the water to make the sand kick up and be sucked up by the filter

 

[OrangeCones]

and OC correct me if im wrong but wont the oto's eat the sand?

I've never seen an oto eat sand.

 

[paperdog9]

and OC correct me if im wrong but wont the oto's eat the sand?

do keep in mind before you get any fish that you do your research and make sure they are compatible with sand. some fish arent good with sand because they will eat it and then cant digest it. there are A LOT of fish that would be good with sand though

Yeah, I've had otos with sand in the tank for maybe four months or so and they havent eaten it while I was around.

 

[tropicalcrazy]

ok my bad thanks for the correct info