Sand vs. rocks

[damizza]

I have a question well two actually if I change my tank over from rocks to sand how do I cleawn the tank, am I still able to use a siphon or will it suck all the sand out of the bottom and second am I able to still have live plants, will they stay anchored and planted in the sand?? Thanks

 

[nc_nutcase]

I’m far from expert… but I recently researched sand vs. gravel… and my first sand tank is cycling now… My conclusion was it’s not worth doing all sand unless your going to plant the tank (there’s one answer, yes plants do great in sand)… Plants eat the poo which is the primary reason to vacuum. Also waste doesn’t settle into sand the way it does gravel, it more or less sits on the top. I’m sure you could develop a system (similar to vacuuming) to spot vac your tank.

There is a ‘pinned’ topic in this forum that gives great suggestions about using sand in your aquarium. I’d read that for ideas and as your working when you have technical questions ask more.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi damizza

I changed some of my tanks over from gravel to sand in January and am very happy with the results. They are beautiful and very much easier to keep clean.

All I do is vacuum over the top and it picks up whatever solid waste has accumulated. This is much less than I had expected, so the filters must be picking more of it up as it is produced. Uneaten food would be taken out the same way instead of sinking into the gravel where it would spoil.

Since I spend less time actually vacuuming up the dirt, the whole process of water changes is easier and faster. Once I have made a quick pass over the surface, I can just remove the water from the top of the tank.

My plants are in pots so that I can move them around, so I don't know how well they would grow. Perhaps someone will tell us that. However, I plan to move them into more attractive orange clay pots soon, and think that will make them even more attractive in there.

 

[OohFeeshy]

If you do suck up much sand, you can easily top it up again cheaply. Or if your REALLY bad, and have loads of sand in the bucket, you can always drain off the water without tipping out the sand, then rinse the sand indechlored water to get any waste off.

 

[Inchworm]

I actually suck up a lot less sand than I did gravel. By keeping the vacuum an inch or so above the bottom, the soil will swirl around and get sucked away without disturbing the sand at all.

With the gravel, I would have to actually push the end of the vacuum into it to get all the dirt out, and as a result, some of the gravel would come out too.

 

[keane]

i have one sand tank and two gravel tanks. My verdict......

.....Sand all the way!

Cleaning is easy. Just hover your vacuum over the sand (as opposed to digging it into gravel) and the waste will be syphoned up leaving the sand where it is.

Not sure about plants myself, but nc_nutcase seems to have cleared that one up for you.

sand......looks great, cleans great, fish think its great!!

steve 8)

 

[OohFeeshy]

Plus its better for bottom dwellers. I'm suprised Inch didn't mention it being better for cories...

 

[Inchworm]

Plus its better for bottom dwellers. I'm suprised Inch didn't mention it being better for cories...

Hi OohFeeshy

Oh yes, it's much better for corys and other bottom feeders.

A fish's barbels are very delicate sensory organs that they use to find food. A round grained sand like play sand is nonabrasive on them and it's obvious that they enjoy having it much more than even the fine gravel I used to use.

With all my corys, I would never set up another tank without a sand bottom.

 

[colegamby]

when you have plants in a sand tank do they need to be in pots or can they be planted straight into the sand?

 

[Yenko]

You can plant them straight into the sand. Personally I only think pots are suitable for fry and discus tanks where you want plants but also want a bare glass bottom that can be easily cleaned, though.

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Yenko

I agree with you about the pots; they are not as attractive as having plants in the sand.

I originally planted that way because I wanted some greenery in the tanks, but after having many nice plants torn up while trying to catch my corys, I potted them up so that they would be more portable. At least now I can remove them when necessary.

However, now I have turned my 55 gallon into more of a display tank. I have too many species or corys to even attempt to breed them all, so some will remain in that tank for perhaps their entire lifetimes.

How deep must the sand be to accommodate the plants roots? I have mostly the common African Sword Plants and they have substantial root systems.