Sand Or Gravel

[ICE CUBE]

hi evrybody i was thinking of changeing one of my tanks from gravel to sand.but it might get messy and stuff so does any one have ideas??
thanks

 

[doresy]

I use black quartz. looks fabulous, hard work with the shyphon cleaner but worth it

 

[paul-discus]

Hi Shady, I changed from gravel to sand a couple of weeks back for my dicus tank, best thing i ever did. Playsand from builders yard or play centre (ie silver sand) less than a fiver for a 25 kg bag.

 

[ICE CUBE]

but will it not make big messes and make the tank cloudy when i plant a new plant or when my plec is swimming on the bottom

 

[Shaun]

Hi,

I have just changed from gravel to sand and so far i am very pleased with it. The reason i changed was because i think it looks more natural and as i wanted to keep cory's it is ideal for them to sift through it. I got my play sand from Argos.

Here's a link that will give you lots of information which may help.

What fish have you got?

Shaun

 

[ICE CUBE]

thanks ive got
1 siver doller
9 cardinals
2 common plecs
2 clown loches
1 congo tetra
5 kribs
1 pearl gourami
1 oplaine gourami
1 swordtail
1 ram
i just lost one of my corys so i might buy a pair

 

[Shaun]

but will it not make big messes and make the tank cloudy when i plant a new plant or when my plec is swimming on the bottom

[/quote

You notice all of the mess alot more with sand as it just stays on top, as with gravel you can hardly see it as it falls in between. As for the water going cloudy mine didnt when i planted the plants and even when i filled the tank up, however i did give it a really good wash to remove all the dust before i filled the tank up. It may be different as to the water going cloudy with different sands but someone with experience with a different type of sand may be able to help you out.

Nice selection of fish you got too

Shaun

 

[ICE CUBE]

thanks you all have been a great help thanks

 

[erk628]

It depends on how good you wash the sand before you put it in, make sure to add the sand when theres no water in the tank or it will get cloudy. I've added it twice and it got cloudy both times I just bought a chemical for cloudy water and it clears up in about a day. The better you rinse it the less cloudy it will be. When adding water including from water changes use a dish to pour the water on, so that the water doesn't directly hit the sand. Once the sand settles though and it clears up it won't get cloudy if you add plants move stuff around etc. The only way it would get cloudy again is if you went stir crazy in the sand.

 

[Shaun]

No probs, good luck!

Sorry to hear about the loss of your cory aswell

 

[ICE CUBE]

have you got a pic of your tank

 

[Shaun]

No, sorry i havent as i changed the substrate from gravel to sand not long ago and havent got a new pic yet.

Shaun

 

[ICE CUBE]

ok thanks thoe

 

[erk628]

Yes I'm sorry to hear about you cory also. I had one die last week also .

 

[Daz CPFC]

Hi,

I have just changed from gravel to sand and so far i am very pleased with it. The reason i changed was because i think it looks more natural and as i wanted to keep cory's it is ideal for them to sift through it. I got my play sand from Argos.

Here's a link that will give you lots of information which may help.

What fish have you got?

Shaun

What colour is the play sand from Argos??