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	ocean sand instead of gravel!
opiate Enthusiast Posts: 152 Kudos: 82 Votes: 12 Registered: 30-Sep-2004	I was wondering is it possible to have sand instead of gravel..? i just think it would look nicer and neater! but would plants grow in it? and would u be able to clean it thoroughly enuf?? What are ur thoughts on this?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:58
keithgh Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 6371 Kudos: 6918 Votes: 1542 Registered: 26-Apr-2003	I have been reading about sand recently as I was considering using a fine Substrate myself. Plants can be very difficult to grow as the pressure can damage the roots. Bacteria can form easily at the lower levels because of the lack of airation. Finally apprently some tests have shown that the bright reflective colour can cause stress on some fish. In short not worth the effort. Keith Near enough is not good enough, therefore good enough is not near enough, and only your best will do. I VOTE DO YOU if not WHY NOT? VOTE NOW VOTE NOW
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:58
greenmonkey51 Fish Master Posts: 1571 Kudos: 1692 Votes: 5 Registered: 28-Jan-2004	Sand is not that difficult at all. Sure you cant grow plants in it but it can look so much nicer than gravel. Cleaning is a breeze. I just vaccumn all the waste off the top and stir it around a bit and Im done. You dont want to go over an inch of depth so that anaroebic pockets can't form. I agreee that bright reflective colors would stress the fish but the sand doesnt reflect that much light. Atleast not enough to tell that my fish are stressed from it.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:58
jasonpisani Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 5553 Kudos: 7215 Votes: 1024 Registered: 24-Feb-2003	You can choose some Anubias as plants & they don't need to be rooted. Just attach them to some Driftwood. Cleaning sand isn't difficult. Just pass the vacuum 1 inch from the Sand & the fish "poo" will be captured & the sand left in your tank. http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos http://www.geocities.com/s8xi5heh/classic_blue.html http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buzaqq/ Last edited by jasonpisani at 12-Jul-2005 09:49 http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/ Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970. http://www.maltaaquarist.com
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:58
littlemousling Conchiform Posts: 5230 Registered: 23-Aug-2003	IME, plants that are relatively "grassy" do well planted in sand; I have Vals, dwarf sag, dwarf hairgrass, etc in sand and doing very well. Keeping Malaysian Trumpet snails and stirring occasionally reduces (generally, eliminates) the risk of anearobic bacteria. And there are plenty of dark sands; I loooove Tahitian Moon sand, a beautiful black sand that glitters. There are tank and brown sands, unnaturally colored sands (red, blue, green, etc), and at least one sand (Ecocomplete Cichlid sand) that's a "salt-and-pepper" mix - black sand for color and white aragonite-based sand for buffering capabilities. For the average community, I'd agree that sand isn't, mostly, worth it. I keep a lot of fish that thrive best on sand (shelldwellers, primarily), so for me it's entirely worth any small troubles, like keeping the intakes of my filters well above the substrate. -Molly Visit shelldwellers.com!
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:58
opiate Enthusiast Posts: 152 Kudos: 82 Votes: 12 Registered: 30-Sep-2004	nice....thankyou very much guys! however i wanted to kinda 'pinch' some from the beach! do u think with alot of washing i could rid the salt from it?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:58
Natalie Ultimate Fish Guru Apolay Wayyioy Posts: 4499 Kudos: 3730 Votes: 348 Registered: 01-Feb-2003	Yes, salt is easily removed. Rinse it in hot water to kill anything living in it. I'm not your neighbor, you Bakersfield trash.
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:58


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