HELP NEEDED WITH SAND

[tobestarrr]

hello all,

i have decided to get sand in my new tank thats coming on thrsday,

the problem is i dont know how much i need

the tank is a 96 litre
roughly 25 us gallons

please could you tell me what lb bag of sand i should get.

[Blueiz]

Is this for a freshwater tank? 25 pounds should be more than enough..depending on how deep you want it.

[tobestarrr]

yep this is for a tropical tank. the bags on the net come in 20's

will one of those be enough?

[Blueiz]

Yeah, it should be..again, depending on the depth you would like it to be..

[tobestarrr]

preferably deeper at the back

im not too sure about the depth really

about 4cm at the back and bout 2.5 3 at the front

[noodles62]

I bought 50 lbs of pool filter sand for my 30 gallon and still had plenty left over for my 14 gallon! I love this stuff!

[jm1212]

start with 25 lbs (or whatever the closes bag is) and then work from there. you can always add more or take some out.

[tobestarrr]

so you rekon 20lb bag will be ok?

does the black make the colours stand out? or what colour is best

[Riiz]

preferably deeper at the back

im not too sure about the depth really

about 4cm at the back and bout 2.5 3 at the front

You really dont want more than 2-3cm, front to back.

[tobestarrr]

ok, does it look better all even?

[tobestarrr]

well im not too botherd weather it does raise at the back.

as long as the bottom has a nice layer over it.

will the 20lb bag do this?

[wataugachicken]

a 20lb bag should be fine. keep in mind that the deeper the sand, the more likely it is that small pockets of "bad" bacteria will start to grow. these anaerobic bacteria sometimes produce gases that can harm your fish when/if released. make sure that the deeper the sand is, the more often you stir it around to break up these little pockets before they can become harmful. unless you want to rescape the tank every week, it's unlikely that the sand will stay built up in the back. through motion of water, fish, and gravity, it will all settle down flat eventually.

[tobestarrr]

thanks :)

[Lady G]

Yep...20lbs should be fine, and black....thats my fav!! I'm just cheap and haven't spent the extra yet for the black.

[blissskr]

Too keep your sand groomed and moved about to keep the bad bacteria from getting a chance to build up I use on of those back scratcher things, It works great and there like a buck at dollar stores.

[tobestarrr]

good idea! i have one of those from holiday :)

also so you use the graven cleaner to clean it but just hover over it?

[blissskr]

Yea i use the gravel vac too I just put some of my wifes old panty hose over the front so I dont suck up too much sand.

[CBWMN]

http://www.aqua-calc.com/calc_gravel.php

CBWMN

[Riiz]

good idea! i have one of those from holiday :)

also so you use the graven cleaner to clean it but just hover over it?


Yeah just hover above it, you will get a little sand circulating in the vacuum, but after the first time, you'll see how close you need to get.

[Lady G]

I don't put anything over mine...it usually falls back out if you lift the vac up some. I have had sand in my tanks for about 3 years...and I am yet to suck up sand actually through the hose itself...yeah a tiny bit may get through, but like I said..if you just lift the vac up some, it falls back out. Heck I stick the vac down in the sand sometimes just stirring it up a little.

Sand is very easy to take care of, and way easier to vac then rock IMO.

[tobestarrr]

thanks for all the help,

isit only black sand that makes the colours of the fish stand out?

is sand alot nicer that fine gravel?

[Lady G]

Black does make them "pop". Although IMO, most sand looks nice. Also IMO, yes I personally think sand looks nicer. Now, do realize everything sits on top the sand (food, poo, ect), it doesn't go down and inbetween like on gravel, so you will notice stuff more on the bottom, but a quick vac takes care of it.

[tobestarrr]

i actuall got my floor stuff todayy

its really nice extra fine gravel

(couldent get the sand anywhere!)

but i also got this good syphon that has like a hoover end so its great, thanks every 1!!!

[Kuhlifan]

I just put pool filter sand in my 20 gallon extra high. The footprint is 20 inches by 10 inches, and with that, I have more than half of my 50 pound bag left. There is an average of an inch and a half over the entire bottom. Take into account, I have a piece of driftwood with a slate base under the sand, so there is a little bit of sand displacement there.

I've read that an inch and a half or less mostly defeats the bacteria pockets. Also, some snails or digging fish will take care of things for you.