Some Questions about sand

mike

mike

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Mike East
I have a 30 Long Chinese Fire belly tank. My substrate is various sized gravel from 1/4 inch diameter up to an inch in diameter. All this rests on under gravel filter plates.

I was thinking about adding sand to the setup. Can I use sand over gravel with an under gravel filter and if so, what kind of sand do I use? will play sand work? do I need to worry about filter pumps etc? Right not the under gravel filter uses air stones but I do have a submersible pump for a water feature.

Thanks in advance.
Mike
 
I wouldn't quote me on this but I would say that sand and an undergravel filter are not a very good combination at all. The UGF will pull all the sand through the gravel until it is under the plate reducing the efficiency of your filtration and not giving you the desired effect. Also just sand and gravel will probably lead to gravel on top of your sand. You may want to try either getting rid of the UGF and going with just sand or not trying the sand at all.

As for playground sand, that is actually what I am using with no ill effects. Make sure to rinse it out thoroughly before you put it in the tank. This should remove the finest particles and keep the tank from being really cloudy and probably doing some damage to your pump.
 
I figured as much but I guess I needed a second opinion. I've only ever used undergravel and power filters (waterfall type that hang off the back)but I haven't used the waterfall type because I don't want a hole in the lid where my friends can escape. Any recommendations on filtration for a 80% full 30 gallon tank?
 
Hi Mike, i use aquarium sand in my aquatic set ups.
On the bag it comes in there's a note....."when used in conjunction with under gravel filters, a layer of filter matting is required below the sand"
 
I read some info about reverse undergravel filters regarding this issue. anyone here use one or know much about them? seems like it would work better than a standard UG filter.
 
Reverse UG would be better in a caudate setup, but I still think you have too much poop buildup.
 
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