Trumpet snails and sand

[kidbookrev]

Hi,

I'm going to be setting up a 10 gallon tropical tank with a play sand substrate. I've heard that sand is a lot harder to vacuum. I don't know if this is true, but I think I've seen people mention Malaysian trumpet snails to keep the sand loose. Does they work? Do they live under the sand? What would I need to feed them?

Thanks
Isaac

 

[spunjin]

Malaysian Trumpet snails are nocturnal snails that dig through the substrate and eat dead plant material, left over food, etc. If you are planning a planted tank with the sand I would highly recommend them. Sand gets impacted and traps gas bubbles that can release into the water column and kill your livestock. I would make a good investment in MTSs if I were using sand as a substrate.

 

[Lupin]

Sand is not hard to vacuum. Just hover your vacuum slantwise above a few centimeters to avoid sand from being sucked so only the detritus can be sucked up. MTS bury underground so they do help prevent the sand from getting compact. Dead pockets tend to form anaerobic bacteria and if disturbed, it can release hydrogen sulfide which is harmful to the fish especially as it smells like rotten eggs.