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	sand as a substrate?
ladiejl Big Fish Posts: 492 Kudos: 204 Votes: 23 Registered: 27-Feb-2003	Since I am getting new tanks and redoing old ones, I thought I want start a tank with sand as the substrate. I dont know anything about sand. Could someone link me to a very good, step by step how to website about using it? Or give me the basic directions yourself? Can you put gravel down and put some sand on top just in certain areas?
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:26
Bob Wesolowski Mega Fish Posts: 1379 Kudos: 1462 Registered: 14-Oct-2004	Ladie, Sand is OK as a substrate but it may cause some problems. If you have live plants, the sand may compact and smother the roots. Additional problems include: - Formation of anaerobic pockets, - Sharp grains damaging a filter impeller, - Inability to “deep” vacuum, - Difficulty in rinsing before placing tin the aquarium, - Tendency to “feed” diatomaceous algae or brown algae. However, white sand gives you a beautiful substrate! Amano has used different substrates in his show aquariums. The substrates are often adjacent to one another as opposed to layered one upon the other. In setting up the aquarium, Amano defines the substrates areas with cardboard pieces to separate the substrates. The finer, lighter substrate such as sand is in the front of the aquarium and would not be planted but be reserved solely for “free” or display area. After placing the substrates in the aquarium, the back areas of the aquarium are established with hardscape such as rocks and driftwood. These areas are then planted. Only after the aquarium is landscaped are the cardboard dividers removed and the aquarium filled very slowly to minimize cloudiness and movement of substrate. I believe that the June, 2005 issue of Tropical Fish Hobbyist showed Amano using this technique. Last edited by bob wesolowski at 28-Nov-2005 06:14 __________ "To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research." researched from Steven Wright
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:26
jasonpisani Ultimate Fish Guru Posts: 5553 Kudos: 7215 Votes: 1024 Registered: 24-Feb-2003	You can put Sand on top of Gravel, but by time the Sand will pass & finish under the Gravel. You can do a 100% Sand substrate & to clean it, just pass the siphon pipe 2cm from the Sand & all the dirt will be sucked up & you will leave the Sand alone. From time to time you must pass your fingers like a rake in the Sand, so it will not compact. http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/s8xi5heh/my_photos http://www.geocities.com/s8xi5heh/classic_blue.html http://groups.yahoo.com/group/buzaqq/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/corydoras/ Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970. http://www.maltaaquarist.com
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:26
Callatya Moderator The girl's got crabs! Posts: 9662 Kudos: 5261 Registered: 16-Sep-2001	I have beach sand in a few of my setups and am planning chunky riversand for my new tank. Beach sand (kids playsand type stuff) is quite nice, small sugar-like grains, nice and even, and the grains are usually very smooth. If you keep the total depth under 1.5" and keep the intake tube about an inch or so away from the substrate (judge based on the strength of the filter) you should be fine. riversand has sharper pieces and may be slightly less suited to loaches and cories, but its not too bad its uneven grain size may well help the plant root aspect as it does not seem to compact as much. The big downside with riversand is that it takes hours to wash! I'd personally stick it in a bucket and soak it for a loooong time (48 hours?) to make sure all the dirt has lifted from all the individual grains of sand, and then shove a hose in the bucket enough to cause the water to overflow. stick the bucket and hose in an area that needs watering and just wait for the water to run clear (will take a while. For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided into things to (a) mate with, (b) eat, (c) run away from, and (d) rocks. - Terry Pratchett
Posted 26-Jan-2006 11:26


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