Is Sand Okay?

[enrique4jc]

I was thinking about landscaping my tank with a mixture of sand and gravel. I've seen a tank that had blue gravel on either side with white sand in the center, and it was a beautiful look. What are the pros/cons of this? Is it healthy for the fish? Does it effect the quality of the water in the tank? Will it damage the filter? And can you really keep the sand and the water separated (at least for the most part) in the tank?

Any advice would be appreciated!

 

[Pheintz]

I have had sand substrate in my 120 and currently in my 55. I used Play Sand from the local hardware store. Usually around 3 dollars for a 50lb bag. It is very dirty when you get it, so we poured it into a large bucket outside and ran the hose on it. It took several rinsings before the water became mostly clear. We did sand first, saucer on sand, poured water on saucer to help minimize stirring it up. The first day or two it was a bit cloudy, but it settles. It did not seem to bother the filter at all. The result is a very natural looking substrate that our fish seem to enjoy. Especially cichlids.

White sand tends to wash out the colors of freshwater fish, I think. And is usually seen in saltwater tanks where it looks more natural. Petsmart online sells Moonlight White Sand for freshwater at $20 for a 20lb bag, though. I have not tried it, myself. But if you want to try a light/white colored sand just make sure that it doesn't contain crushed coral or things that are meant for saltwater tanks.

Not all fish will do well with a sand substrate so it depends, too, on what kind of fish you are thinking of or have in the tank already.

 

[FreakIndeed]

I've had sand in my 55 now for three days. The fish seem to like it much more than the gravel. I also used "play sand" that is a very light color. It didn't seem to detract from the color of my fish at all. In fact my Rainbow Shark changes from light to dark frequently as he swims around the tank. My Siamensis look much better with the lighter color sand and the Silver Dollars look just as... well... Silver! If you use sand, rinse it well. I rinsed mine at least 20 times and still had cloudy water when I set the tank up. Within a day it was much clearer and now three days later it's crystal clear.

From my exhaustive online study before I switched to sand, I found that play sand works well (and is doing so for me) but may be too fine if you have live plants. If you have a planted tank it's best to go with "Silver" sand that is also referred to as "Blasting Sand" at places like Home Depot. You can also use pool filter sand. Sand from Home Depot is significantly cheaper than from a LFS. Although I imagine some people will say you should only buy sand from your LFS.

 

[kveeti]

Unless you have a physical barrier of some sort, without any holes, if you put both gravel and sand, they will end up mixing. In one tank, I purposely have sand and gravel mixed together on my lower level (total approx 1 inch thick)... after I gravel vac, the sand is on top because it is lighter and falls from the tube last. But after a couple days, the sand naturally works its way down and then the gravel is on top again. I have a physical barrier where my rooted plants are and that section is all gravel.

 

[Marinemom]

It is entirely possible to use sand in your aquarium if that is what you perfer. I think it makes for a very natural look. However, I would not use it for a planted tank. In the case of a planted tank, you might want to consider a plant substrate such as Eco-complete which is black and looks very natural. The other plant substrate I think is called Florite and is made of clay. The plants will do well in either one of these choices.

Marinemom

 

[number1sixerfan]

I have plants in my tahitan moon sand. I'm planning a 55gal and I am debating whether to keep it or not. I'm leaning towards not due to how poop and crap just lies on the surface.

Do you all think it would be effecient to have eco complete underneith the sand? One problem I can anticipate is uprooting plants and making the sand even dirtier.