sand ?
- Thread starter zigis
- Start date
I have 2 planted tanks that are sand only both have been set up for 3+ years. One is play sand, one is pool filter sand. Get some MTS (Malaysian trumpet snails) to keep it from developing pockets of anaerobic bacteria. I think that's what you might have been told re
oisoning the tank. Anaerobic bacteria comes from compressed substrate where the bacteria can't get the O2 needed for aerobic respiration. MTS will keep the substrate from going Anaerobic.
I have no problems with the biological filter. That doesn't make sense that you could use sand in a tank without plants, but a tank with plants would cause problems. Plants will use up nitrogen in the form of ammonia and nitrate- if you can use it for a tank without any plant mass to take up the nitrogen compounds, then surely a planted tank would work even better by that logic.
Its an inert substrate so you will have to go low tech or supplement with fertilizers, but that's no different from using gravel. If you want to go with a high tech tank there are better substrates to use, like ecco complete or ADA aquasoil, but if you're going inert, sand is no better or worse than gravel.
It is harder to keep looking clean since all the detritus will stay on the surface.
oisoning the tank. Anaerobic bacteria comes from compressed substrate where the bacteria can't get the O2 needed for aerobic respiration. MTS will keep the substrate from going Anaerobic. I have no problems with the biological filter. That doesn't make sense that you could use sand in a tank without plants, but a tank with plants would cause problems. Plants will use up nitrogen in the form of ammonia and nitrate- if you can use it for a tank without any plant mass to take up the nitrogen compounds, then surely a planted tank would work even better by that logic.
Its an inert substrate so you will have to go low tech or supplement with fertilizers, but that's no different from using gravel. If you want to go with a high tech tank there are better substrates to use, like ecco complete or ADA aquasoil, but if you're going inert, sand is no better or worse than gravel.
It is harder to keep looking clean since all the detritus will stay on the surface.
Sand works great with plants. That's what I use. If you are vaccuuming during normal water changes, then you'll not develo any kind of pockets. It stays cleaner than gravel too!