Advice On Substrate

[Andy_B]

Hi

I'm going to be setting up my tank through the next few months and was wanting a bit of advice on which substrate to use.

I'm looking to create a well planted tank with fish like Danio's, Tetra's, Guppy's, Siamease Fighters and some Catfish (final fish not decided on at all yet!!).

My question is, would I be better using a sand or gravel substrate?
I know I can get sand from Argos etc but if gravel is recommended, does anyone know where I can get a fish compatible dark coloured gravel? (All the gravel in Pets at Home and fish shops seems to be quite light which washes out the fishes colourings).

Any advice would be much appreciated.

Andrew

 

[fishwatcher]

Well, I think you'll find mixed opinions on whether a lighter color of it washes out the fish or not. That being said, though, I'd research what fish you want. Some fish prefer/need one over the other. If they have no real preference, I'd go for sand. To me it just looks neater and more natural.

 

[Andy_B]

Well, I think you'll find mixed opinions on whether a lighter color of it washes out the fish or not. That being said, though, I'd research what fish you want. Some fish prefer/need one over the other. If they have no real preference, I'd go for sand. To me it just looks neater and more natural.

I don't think I'd be looking at any fish that have a particular preference.
Do plants grow ok in 3mm gravel?
What about mixing gravel and sand?

Sorry for all the questions!

 

[andywg]

If you mix gravel and sand the eventual result is normally sand on the bottom and gravel on the top, though you can put in things to prevent this (akin to hairnets for gravel)

 

[Torrean]

you can place laterite under whatever substrate you use to aid in plant growth. I'm no plant man so look into that for yourself. Sand rocks...just be patient when cleaning it for the first time...The better you rinse it the quicker it will settle when disturbed. If you mix gravel and sand they will blend together and seperate but you can adjust this with a fishnet pretty easilly. Just scoop up some sand and shake it out over the gravel if you want to hide the gravel or pick up sand and gravel shake out the sand and dump the gravel on top. Sand is my favorite substrate...It's best for cories and most bottom dwellers.

 

[Andy_B]

If I was to use sand, would it require any ongoing cleaning once the tank is established?
If so, how is it cleaned?

Also, does anyone know where I could get a dark coloured gravel under 3mm in size?
I've trawled through google and come up with nothing except for those gravels that are dyed

Sorry for all these questions but I'd rather get it right than cause harm to any fish!

 

[andywg]

Sand is washed before going in (just have a tap running on a bucket about a third full of sand for about 5 mins) and can be vacced when you water change. Rather than sticking a syphon into the sand you just wave it about above the sand (around an inch or so) and the detritus will raise up to be syphoned off.

 

[samyboy]

i reccomend sand




...and some corys to go with it

 

[Andy_B]

i reccomend sand




...and some corys to go with it

What small corys would you recommend then?

 

[samyboy]

ive got a couple of bronze corys as there suposedly quite hardy compaired to other varieties

 

[Andy_B]

If I go for sand, will a Fluval 3 plus filter be able to cope ok?

 

[nmonks]

You might find my article on sandy susbtrates useful.

Sand is better than gravel for most purposes, but there are potential problems, so you should balance up the pros and cons before doing anything to the tank. Over the long term, I find sand quite low maintenance. Dirt doesn't sink into it, it usually sits on top, so siphoning off waste is easy. If you have a few catfish, they'll keep it clean and well aerated, and Malayan livebearing snails are even better (I'd say essential!).

Cheers,

Neale

 

[samyboy]

Malayan livebearing snails are even better (I'd say essential!).

oooooh where can i get me some of these from then?

 

[nmonks]

I got mine from a tropical fish shop, by simply asking for a few while buying some fish. Most people (out of ignorance) view them as pests, and are happy to give them away. You will also see people trading/swapping them here (see the buy + sell forum) as well as on eBay and Aquabid.

Malayan livebearing snails (Melanoides spp.) are pure detritivores, and ignore plants and fish. Their population grows rapidly only if there is excess food or organic waste in the system. The myth some people have is that these snails multiply rapidly with no aid from the fishkeeper. That's scientifically impossible -- they need food to breed!!! So long as you keep the tank clean, the numbers stay remarkable steady, with many of the newly born snails simply starving to death or growing very slowly. At night they come to surface of the tank, where you can scoop off any excess snails as you see fit.

They are incredibly hardy, and will tolerate a wide range of water conditions from soft and acid through to over half-strength seawater! They survive being left on land for days, even weeks, so they are one of the few aquarium animals that I would trust to be mailed from one place to another.

What's wonderful about them is they stay in the sand all day long. During this time they are feeding on any organic material that gets in there (preventing anaerobic decay). At the same time they are making little burrows, like earthworms do on land, and so oxygenate the sand by pulling through fresh water. In short, they do the two critical jobs you need done when keeping a fish tank with a sandy substrate. That's why I consider them essential.

Cheers,

Neale

Malayan livebearing snails are even better (I'd say essential!).

oooooh where can i get me some of these from then?

 

[Andy_B]

I got mine from a tropical fish shop, by simply asking for a few while buying some fish. Most people (out of ignorance) view them as pests, and are happy to give them away. You will also see people trading/swapping them here (see the buy + sell forum) as well as on eBay and Aquabid.

Malayan livebearing snails (Melanoides spp.) are pure detritivores, and ignore plants and fish. Their population grows rapidly only if there is excess food or organic waste in the system. The myth some people have is that these snails multiply rapidly with no aid from the fishkeeper. That's scientifically impossible -- they need food to breed!!! So long as you keep the tank clean, the numbers stay remarkable steady, with many of the newly born snails simply starving to death or growing very slowly. At night they come to surface of the tank, where you can scoop off any excess snails as you see fit.

They are incredibly hardy, and will tolerate a wide range of water conditions from soft and acid through to over half-strength seawater! They survive being left on land for days, even weeks, so they are one of the few aquarium animals that I would trust to be mailed from one place to another.

What's wonderful about them is they stay in the sand all day long. During this time they are feeding on any organic material that gets in there (preventing anaerobic decay). At the same time they are making little burrows, like earthworms do on land, and so oxygenate the sand by pulling through fresh water. In short, they do the two critical jobs you need done when keeping a fish tank with a sandy substrate. That's why I consider them essential.

Cheers,

Neale

Can you answer my other question for me please.
If I go for sand, will a Fluval 3 plus filter be able to cope ok?