Sand/Gravel

[Rei]

Hi I have rather large pebbles in my tank and they are to much hassle for gathering all the gunk and I want to switch to sand, Unfortunatly for some odd reason I can never find sand >_> Anyone know the best type? I was told to go for playpit sand...but woohoo...outta stock!

I was wondering if it would be ok for me to remove my gravle and just leave it as the glass bottom untill i get sand, the gravle seems a lot more dangerous than it does friendly...

 

[Kaysie]

In addition to being hard to clean, having large gravel can lead to impaction.

You can remove the gravel and leave the bottom bare.

I've used pool filter sand for years. Play pit sand is much finer.

 

[Rei]

Ok thanks, I have to do my water change sometime today so I will just remove the gravel then

 

[kapo]

Bare tank doesn't appeal to a lot of people, but I like it - may not look aesthetically good, but is by far the easiest to clean of our tanks (and great for feeding).

We have sand and bare tank floors.

 

[jolyons]

I use sand in my tank and its been fine for about a year, before sand i had gravel which caused problems, and only the other day one of them poo'ed some out (1yr later!!)

 

[ianclick]

Hi Rei,

I am the bare tank advocate, as Kapo says its way easier to clean and I have four axies in two tanks both with no substrate and no hassles.

Good Luck

 

[dirka]

cleaning sand?

Hello, I had similar questions about sand and I was just wondering about how to clean an aquarium with sand? When you empty the water do you generally empty the sand too and replace with new sand? Or do you just kind of rinse out the existing sand and reuse? I currently have gravel but I am considering switching since I have read a lot of sad stories about axies eating gravel

 

[kapo]

You waterchange the tank in the same way you'd do with any tank. You clean using a gravel cleaner (or some type of hose to siphon out the water) to get any gunk or waste on or buried between the gravel. In the same way you need to siphon the sand on a regular basis (weekly/fortnightly) and gently shake/tap the tube bit and the sand falls back down into the tank. Siphoning of the sand needs to be done to ensure there is no hidden waste and that pockets of anaerobic gases don't build up and cause a problem. Any sand that does get siphoned out (it's usually minimal once you get the hang of it) we usually tip the water into the gardens and just pour/scoop the sand back into the tank.

 

[Amiracle]

Washed river sand is also good. Just make sure you rinse it VERY well before putting it in the tank as this can lead to cloudy water.

 

[gr33neyes]

i just use an ordinary piece of clear hose to clean my sand. Skim it over the surface to pick up waste and then run it through the sand backwards and forwards to break up any waste or gas pockets. Yes you do get sand coming up through the hose into the bucket but i just rinse that through and then pop it back in the tank.

 

[Casaloxl]

now that my tank is fully cycled i am going to get some sand for it today....can't wait to see my axies playing around on it..

 

[dirka]

Thanks for the sand info!

 

[i2canoe]

I use sand in my tank and its been fine for about a year, before sand i had gravel which caused problems, and only the other day one of them poo'ed some out (1yr later!!)

I set up a tank for a pair of FBNs initially using a fine gravel, the plants in my chiclid tank grow well in it and I had it handy.
I noticed one of my newts picked up a piece in his mouth and spit it out, seeing the potential of swallowing this gravel I replaced it with a pebble grade. I hate the stuff, plants don't root well and food gets trapped easily.
Finding this website, I was happy with the advise that fine sand, if ingested, would pass through without problem. I love fine sand, it is great for my plants. It is beige so the FBN's are clearly visible and the frozen blood worms I feed them don't fall between anything and are really easy for the newts to find.
As well I have a male and three female guppys in the tank. They help make sure food does not remain around uneaten and I figure the FBN's would love the guppy fry when they fall.