Goldfish and Substrate

James0816

James0816

AC Members
Feb 14, 2007
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I currently have gravel in the tank that houses my goldfish and getting ready to upgrade. I was contimplating sand. But then I thought...better check first. I watch him all the time grab mouth fulls of the gravel and spit them back out. Will sand be ok to use with a goldfish?
 
I only use sand, it is the best. It doesn't trap debris, and they still love sifting through it. It keeps debris up top so the flow can keep it moving so the fitlers cna grab it. It is more natural and looks much better. I only use Estes' Marine Sand. This is as cheap as gravel and doesn't need any cleaning before you put it in the tank.
 
Check out the link below as someone else was asking about sand in the goldfish tank.

http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=134550

My thought is that depending on your filtration system, how many goldfish you have, and your size of tank. The goldfish may disturb the sand to much and cause your filter to suck it up and make noise and possibly ruin your impeller.

Sand is good for keeping debris on top, but you have to disturb the sand else if it just sits gases will form beneath the surface and may cause possible problems.
 
I use and recommend Estes' Marine Sand. It settles VERY quickly. I get none in my filters at all. They would have to spir it directly into the intake for it to get there. I have not had any issues with any gasses unless I have a feeding bowl in the tank. Anything that blocks off a lot of area from interacting with the water column could do this, such as the slate on driftwood mounted on slate. But it doesn't hurt to run your fingers or something through it every once in a while to keep it stirred up.
 
If you want to go with sand you could also use trumpet snails to stir up the sand so it does not become compacted....they also help clean up....another good thing about them is that they only come out at night to clean up....so u rarely see them in the daytime...they also help you monitor water conditions...if you see them in the day racing to the top of the tank you should check your water...what else could u ask for....
 
Thx, I only have the one goldfish with no plans to add any other goldfish. More fish yes..but goldfish no. The tank is a 45g and I will be using a Penguin 350 on it.
 
I would not use sand, goldfish love to pick up things in the substrate all day. A belly full of sand would not be good. Id use gravel of some kind. I own lots of fancy goldfish and get to watch this first hand.
 
If you do not want to use sand because it could cause problems if ingested, then I assume any gravel used is way too big to be swallowed. Since even a single piece of gravel could block things up I think there is more risk there than with sand, which can easily pass through the digestive system. Unless they decide to swallow a lot, which they shouldn't since this a natural behavior for them for seeking food, not a belly full of sand, it is not a problem.
 
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