Substrate - sand?

[Cave]

I just read Orion's thread but didn't want to hijack it with this question I've never used sand in an aquarium before, but since I'm getting a new FW tank soon and I like the way it looks I thought I might try it. What are the pros/cons of using sand rather than gravel? Does it cause any problems like clogging up the filter or anything like that? Can it be hoovered during cleaning, and if not is there any other way to clean it? Does it limit the kind of fish you can have in the tank?

Sorry for all the questions, but I don't want to be rushing into stuff and making a huge a mess of my new tank by not knowing what I'm doing!

 

[Orion]

I actualy think it allows for more diversity in fish, and more natural. Also solid fish waste stays on the top of the sand insteed of falling inbetween the gravel making it much easier to get.

Rinse, rinse, and rinse the sand before you put it into your tank. And when you think you've rinsed it enough, rinse it agian. Trust me on this, you will be better off in the long run taking the extra time to rinse it so well. Even with a good rinsing however it will still cloudy up the tank a little bit. When you first put it in make sure that all your filters are off, and leave them off for at least half an hour. This gives the large particles of sand enough time to settle down good, and not get caught in the filters impeller.

Hoovering with a syphon is the best way to clean it. Most sand I have used is light enough for at least a little bit to be suctioned up the tube, and hoovering helps with this.

I find sand much more astheticly pleasing than gravel. Good luck!

Oh and did I mention to rinse the sand?

 

[Brockway]

Sand rocks. Its much cheaper, cleaner, and looks great, especially in a malawi tank (looks like a saltwater tank ^_^). An air pump driven sponge filter can really speed up the tank clearing up after you put the water in with the sand.

 

[Cutlass]

Definitely rinse it. And rinse it again. Put some sand in a bucket, and fill it slowly with water. Let it sit for about 5-10 minutes until the larger particles sink to the bottom, and then dump out the water on top. Repeat. The water you're dumping will look like chocolate milk, but that's good because you're getting rid of the tiny particles that will cloud up your tank water and take days or weeks to settle, not to mention screw up your filters.

You can turn on the filters even if it's still slightly cloudy. I turned mine on once I could clearly see the intake tube and heater along the back wall. I've found that folding up a paper towel and putting it in the outside HOB filter will catch a good amount of leftover sand. Take the paper towel out once the water clears up.

Rinsing is a pain in the butt, but I agree sand looks great. And it really is very easy to clean. One drawback is that it makes planting a bit harder, and if you have fish that like to dig (loaches, for instance), then they'll have an easier time uprooting the plants. Loaches love sand though, so if you want sand, live plants, and loaches, wait until the plants have developed strong roots before introducing the loaches (or any other fish that like to dig).

 

[twoluvcats]

I LOVE SAND!!! For all the reasons already stated above...bottom line, everything seems to stay cleaner...and I don't even really have a plant issue...Tho I do use plant weights rather liberally LOL

oh, ya and rinse rinse rinse

 

[phOOey]

i use gravel and sand, i like them both alot for different reasons. one adavantage of gravel is that its better for planted tanks as plants do better in gravel as opposed to sand as it allows their roots to spread easier. IMO most fish prefer sand, i moved my pleco from a tank with gravel in, to one with sand, and he couldnt wait to start digging around under rocks and wood, making himself a nice home. loaches and cories also prefer sand as it isnt as harmful to their barbels.

 

[ram man]

sand is my favorite substrate. if you have corys they love sand. when i had mine they would dig like little puppy dogs in it