Switching To Sand?

[GerardM]

I was thinking of switching from gravel to sand and was wondering if it would be any beter for the fish and plants or is it just for looks?

And what sand should should i use (was thinking argos playsand but i duno)?

And is there any extra work in cleaning it?

Thanks for any help and suggestions
ps its a 60l tank

 

[LucyB]

WOW I was literally JUST about to start a post about this!! I will be watching this topic

 

[fluttermoth]

Plants aren't bothered one way or the other, although it can be quite tricky to plant into sand, as the plants tend to float off; you may need to pile a few pebbles around the roots until they've rooted in properly.

Any bottom dwelling, digging fish, like loaches or cories, will be far happier on sand as it allows them to exhibit their natural behaviour of rummaging through the substrate.

Cleaning sand is easier then gravel as all the dirt sits on top rather than falling through the gaps, so with sand you really only need to go over the surface; you don't need to dig your gravel cleaner into the substrate.

I have Argos playsand and it's fine; just wash it really, really well before you put it in the tank, or you will have cloudy water!

 

[AquaJason]

I too am thinking of doing the same,was wondering can you add the sand in the tank with the fish- will it affect the pH etc ?
Do you need to cycle the water after sand is added then add fish

Thanks

 

[james_fish]

Sand will be good for your plants, as they can get their roots down easier than some gravels. It's also better for some types of fish, mainly bottom dwellers as it is not as rough as some gravels on their mouths.

Argos play sand will be fine, I hear a lot of people on the forum use it.

Dirt shows up more with sand than gravel, i've found from personal experiance. Sand does look great though

James.

 

[james_fish]

I too am thinking of doing the same,was wondering can you add the sand in the tank with the fish- will it affect the pH etc ?
Do you need to cycle the water after sand is added then add fish

Thanks

Hi Jason,

I once did a gravel to sand swap on my 200 litre with all the fish in. Providing the tank is cycled prior to the swap then you don't need to recycle the tank. Remember the bacteria is stored in the filter and only tiny amounts live on the gravel. So replacing won't affect your colony as it will re-buil the lost 1% (at most?) in no time.

I dropped the water level to about 40% when doing the switchover, just take extra care you don't injure the fish

Most aquarium sands won't affect pH but some will. Just check the packaging. I can't see Argos play sand affecting pH.

James.