sand/mud vs Gravel

[Kerryk]

Hello again, just wondering if it is possible to have sand or some sort of mud in a freshwater tank instead of gravel (all the sand I've seen is for salt water, are they inter-changable?). And if you can...how would you clean the surface of it without sucking it all out? (I'd like to add chunks of rocks to make little hidey holes for my fishes, and I think it would make my catfishes happy too!) Any thoughts?

 

[CFC]

Sand is a very popular substrate for freshwater aquariums, all but one of my tanks have sand as their substrate. My personal choices for a sand substrate are silver sand (most commonly sold as play sand) or silica sand which is often sold in fish stores as river sand. , both are inert and should not affect water chemistry, though sometimes silver sand will cause a pH spike at first if not washed thoroughly before use.
Sand is easier to keep clean than gravel and ultimately should lead to tanks with lower nitrate levels as dirt just sits on the surface where it can be syphoned or netted out easily instead of getting into the substrate where it cant be seen. The only down side to sand is that in my experience it isnt a good substrate for planted tanks as it generally isnt used at a depth deep enough for good root systems, with sand you dont really want a substrate depth of more than 1.5" or you could end up with anerobic conditions which are dangerous in FW tanks.
To clean sand just run the end of a syphon about 1" off the surface and all the dirt will lift and be sucked away leaving the sand in place.

 

[Kerryk]

Awesome stuff!! May I ask how you clean the sand before you put it in your tank? Is it safe to go from Gravel to sand without moving all your fish? Does sand cloud the tank if a fish digs around in it (is it dangerous if it clouds)? It sounds perfect for my tank since I'm not big on rooting plants, and it would look "tidier".
*yay*

 

[clutterydrawer]

a lot of people on here have switched their tank from gravel to sand but I think most remove tehir fish to a temporary tank while they're changing it, to reduce stress. that's how I did it. what kind of digging fish do you have? i have some corydoras catfish and sometimes they stir up a little bit of sand when they dig but it settles immediately.

clean the sand by putting a bit in a buckets, swooshing it round with lots of water, tip out the water, and repeat ad infinitum till all the little cloudy bits are gone. you might consider getting dark or black sand which makes the fishes' colours look brighter.

*edit* - I just had a look at your profile and it says you have peppered cories. They would really like a sand substrate as it makes it easier for tehm to dig without hurting their whiskers, and you will be able to see them filtering the sand through their gills.

 

[Kerryk]

I have a few gouramis, a couple corys and some bleeding heart tetras. My corys seem to like digging around in the gravel. The gouramis were added first and only ate from the top of the water...if the food started to fall they wouldn't touch it. Then I got my corys, and I think the gouramis discovered that the food the cats were eatting that was on the bottom was pretty darned good, and started picking at the gravel for food...and now they dig. I know they get enough food, I think it's just a new past-time..even though they AREN'T supposed to dig...but they don't do as much "damage" as a chiclid (sp). Sand seems like a good plan, and I also have a separate tank that I could use during the transition. Thank-you so much for your help

 

[clutterydrawer]

sweet. there are a lot of relevant threads on this forum which you might be able to find using the search button, with advice and tips people have given...let us know how it goes.

 

[CathyG]

A pic of my Surinam Cory playing in the sand

I love sand as a substrate, and as CFC said, it is easy to care for. Here is a recent thread on the same subject. Once it has settled, fish digging in the sand will not disturb it to the point of causing cloudiness.

Good luck!

 

[Kerryk]

Oh my goodness is that catfish ever cute!!! I'll have to add sand to my christmas wish list!! One of my corys had damaged whiskers when I got him...any chance they will grow back if they have a bit of a rest? Sand definatly sounds good! Thanks so much, that other thread was helpful too!

 

[clutterydrawer]

cories lose their whiskers for a variety of reasons. the traditional belief is that it is caused by living over a rough or large substrate but there is some evidence that this isn't entirely true. or possible reasons could be exposure to high nitrates or a bacterial infection. If the fish is healthy, he should regrow his whiskers as long as you keep him in clean water and feed him some high protein foods, eg live or frozen foods (which you should be doing anyway! ) good luck with him!