Sand Substrate

[PiranhaGirl]

My husband and I will be setting up a new tank soon and would like to try sand as a substrate. While I have had tanks in the past, (nothing bigger than 5-10 gallons) I have discovered some things I have been doing wrong, and I want to do this one the right way! I currently have a 5 gallon tank with gravel that has been set up for a couple of years. We are looking to move to a 25 gallon tank (estimate), dimensions 36"L x 10"W x 12"H. I have just a few questions relating to substrate and filtration.

1. What are the pros and cons of having sand as a substrate?

2. How do you keep it properly cleaned?

3. What type of sand should I get and where can I buy it? I have done a bit of research on this and read that silica sand is very good. I found some on Amazon and was wondering if this is okay. http/www.amazon.com/Meeco-Mfg-Inc-Silica-Sand/dp/B002CU36JI

4. What type of filter should I get?

5. I have seen some tanks that have crystal clear water with sand and others not so much. How do I keep my water from being cloudy from the sand? Is this a problem because people don't initially properly rinse the sand?

Any other help/suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

 

[aether.ed]

Sand in my opinion is the best substrate, its the easiest to keep clean. Any debris just sits on top of the sand waiting to be vacuumed up. Doesnt get all stuck under it like gravel. I use proper aquarium sand but there is other suitable types. There are no cons except plants that are heavy root feeders may not do so well! Silica sand is fine, and the cloudy water goes within a week or 2 but can be minimised with a good rinse. Once its settled the water will be crystal clear! Again, I can report NO CONS when it comes to sand just PROS, especially if u have bottom dwellers!

Hints and tips: dont have deep sand, keep it around an inch or so. Regular sand stirring is also advised to release trapped air bubbles!

 

[PiranhaGirl]

Sand in my opinion is the best substrate, its the easiest to keep clean. Any debris just sits on top of the sand waiting to be vacuumed up. Doesnt get all stuck under it like gravel. I use proper aquarium sand but there is other suitable types. There are no cons except plants that are heavy root feeders may not do so well! Silica sand is fine, and the cloudy water goes within a week or 2 but can be minimised with a good rinse. Once its settled the water will be crystal clear! Again, I can report NO CONS when it comes to sand just PROS, especially if u have bottom dwellers!

Hints and tips: dont have deep sand, keep it around an inch or so. Regular sand stirring is also advised to release trapped air bubbles!

Thanks for the info! It's always nice to get another persons take on it.

 

[raptorrex]

Sand in my opinion is the best substrate, its the easiest to keep clean. Any debris just sits on top of the sand waiting to be vacuumed up. Doesnt get all stuck under it like gravel. I use proper aquarium sand but there is other suitable types. There are no cons except plants that are heavy root feeders may not do so well! Silica sand is fine, and the cloudy water goes within a week or 2 but can be minimised with a good rinse. Once its settled the water will be crystal clear! Again, I can report NO CONS when it comes to sand just PROS, especially if u have bottom dwellers!

Hints and tips: dont have deep sand, keep it around an inch or so. Regular sand stirring is also advised to release trapped air bubbles!

Thanks for the info! It's always nice to get another persons take on it.

you will find a fair few experienced people who would state Sand in not the best substrate. mealy a Good option for some.

dependent on your setup and stock it can it can be a sod to keep clean.

I'd also suggest 2in or so for sand. as it compacts under its own weight. this makes the sand more stable.
therefore reducing, or greatly slowing down, sand migration caused by water flow.

again, i would argue, there is no need to "stir up" the substrate.
this "fish lor" grew from ignorance about the possible gasses that may form under the sand.
whilst gasses do form in bubbles under the sand. they are totally safe because they simply raise to the top and vanish.

from my experience, properly washed sand will settle within a couple of hours, which is fortunate as it best done with the filter off.


as for which sand. unless you like a specific colour.
there is nothing better than PlalySand.
true, its no better than "branded" items, but its no worse, and costs pennies. (oh ok, it probably needs more washing prior to adding it though)

I dont feel you need a "specific" filter for using sand. but you do need to make sure the inlet is not too close to the sand, or in a place where the sand may get stirred up.
but, for your sized tank, I'd recommend a cannister. say something like a Tetratech ex1200, Eheim 2017 or the like.

crystal clear water, again, in my experience, is nothing to do with the substrate, its down to your filtration and good maintenance routine.
this can be a "con" for sand. active and skittish fish will stir it up. it not only clouds the water, but gets into your filter.

 

[PiranhaGirl]

Sand in my opinion is the best substrate, its the easiest to keep clean. Any debris just sits on top of the sand waiting to be vacuumed up. Doesnt get all stuck under it like gravel. I use proper aquarium sand but there is other suitable types. There are no cons except plants that are heavy root feeders may not do so well! Silica sand is fine, and the cloudy water goes within a week or 2 but can be minimised with a good rinse. Once its settled the water will be crystal clear! Again, I can report NO CONS when it comes to sand just PROS, especially if u have bottom dwellers!

Hints and tips: dont have deep sand, keep it around an inch or so. Regular sand stirring is also advised to release trapped air bubbles!

Thanks for the info! It's always nice to get another persons take on it.

you will find a fair few experienced people who would state Sand in not the best substrate. mealy a Good option for some.

dependent on your setup and stock it can it can be a sod to keep clean.

I'd also suggest 2in or so for sand. as it compacts under its own weight. this makes the sand more stable.
therefore reducing, or greatly slowing down, sand migration caused by water flow.

again, i would argue, there is no need to "stir up" the substrate.
this "fish lor" grew from ignorance about the possible gasses that may form under the sand.
whilst gasses do form in bubbles under the sand. they are totally safe because they simply raise to the top and vanish.

from my experience, properly washed sand will settle within a couple of hours, which is fortunate as it best done with the filter off.


as for which sand. unless you like a specific colour.
there is nothing better than PlalySand.
true, its no better than "branded" items, but its no worse, and costs pennies. (oh ok, it probably needs more washing prior to adding it though)

I dont feel you need a "specific" filter for using sand. but you do need to make sure the inlet is not too close to the sand, or in a place where the sand may get stirred up.
but, for your sized tank, I'd recommend a cannister. say something like a Tetratech ex1200, Eheim 2017 or the like.

crystal clear water, again, in my experience, is nothing to do with the substrate, its down to your filtration and good maintenance routine.
this can be a "con" for sand. active and skittish fish will stir it up. it not only clouds the water, but gets into your filter.

What do you use as a substrate? Are there other alternatives to sand that look like sand? Such as Very small white rock. What would you suggest?

 

[FishLover66]

I prefer sand over gravel (and so do cories and most cichlids), but would recommend you stay away from very fine sand, like you would find in pet stores. I've tried it and it's a PTA--stirs VERY easily, every little thing sits on the top and shows up, so the tank looks 'dirty,' and since there is no air flow, bad bacteria grows and will not only turn the sand black, but when it gets stired up, the gases come to the surface and stink like rotten eggs--it's gross. I switched to pool filter sand and LOVE it. It stays clean looking and much easier to clean and I haven't had any trouble with bad bacteria. Plus it's VERY inexpensive. I'd rinse any sand thoroughly to get any smaller particles or dust out of it. With the premium aquarium sand, my tank was cloudy for days, but with the PFS, it never got cloudy.

 

[raptorrex]

Sand in my opinion is the best substrate, its the easiest to keep clean. Any debris just sits on top of the sand waiting to be vacuumed up. Doesnt get all stuck under it like gravel. I use proper aquarium sand but there is other suitable types. There are no cons except plants that are heavy root feeders may not do so well! Silica sand is fine, and the cloudy water goes within a week or 2 but can be minimised with a good rinse. Once its settled the water will be crystal clear! Again, I can report NO CONS when it comes to sand just PROS, especially if u have bottom dwellers!

Hints and tips: dont have deep sand, keep it around an inch or so. Regular sand stirring is also advised to release trapped air bubbles!

Thanks for the info! It's always nice to get another persons take on it.

you will find a fair few experienced people who would state Sand in not the best substrate. mealy a Good option for some.

dependent on your setup and stock it can it can be a sod to keep clean.

I'd also suggest 2in or so for sand. as it compacts under its own weight. this makes the sand more stable.
therefore reducing, or greatly slowing down, sand migration caused by water flow.

again, i would argue, there is no need to "stir up" the substrate.
this "fish lor" grew from ignorance about the possible gasses that may form under the sand.
whilst gasses do form in bubbles under the sand. they are totally safe because they simply raise to the top and vanish.

from my experience, properly washed sand will settle within a couple of hours, which is fortunate as it best done with the filter off.


as for which sand. unless you like a specific colour.
there is nothing better than PlalySand.
true, its no better than "branded" items, but its no worse, and costs pennies. (oh ok, it probably needs more washing prior to adding it though)

I dont feel you need a "specific" filter for using sand. but you do need to make sure the inlet is not too close to the sand, or in a place where the sand may get stirred up.
but, for your sized tank, I'd recommend a cannister. say something like a Tetratech ex1200, Eheim 2017 or the like.

crystal clear water, again, in my experience, is nothing to do with the substrate, its down to your filtration and good maintenance routine.
this can be a "con" for sand. active and skittish fish will stir it up. it not only clouds the water, but gets into your filter.

What do you use as a substrate? Are there other alternatives to sand that look like sand? Such as Very small white rock. What would you suggest?

I use, now, small 2-3mm gravel. but i was happy with my "playsand".. you may want to look at Crushed Coral as an alternative.

you cant go wrong either way. I have no real preference either way. sand does take a little more maintenance though.

if you buy playsand, it costs little. if you find it does not suite your tank and stock. you will only have lost a couple of quid (palysand 3.33 for 15kg)
and if you source your gravel wisely, it'll cost little more if you decide to go for that

if it were me, I start with a small gravel. once i had a stable tank and stock. that's when i would look at changing over.
but thats me and in no way a rule.

 

[PrairieSunflower]

I love sand for my small tank... but I hated it in my large tank. I couldn't stand any bit of debris standing there is view... so I was cleaning the surface of the sand every day as well as before visitors came so they didn't see it either! I also had some algae growing on it (never had it grow on gravel) and it is really hard to suck up as it doesn't really float.

In the end, with other problems I was having, I just did away with it in the big tank and returned to natural looking gravel. I'd rather vaccume the whole thing 1-2 times per week thoroughly than have sand to clean everyday.

Those were the only cons.

Just wanted to add... I bought Dorset Pea gravel from Surrey Aquatics for a competitive price to play sand.