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Lets try this again...im getting a new 10 gallon in my near future, and i was looking at some tanks set up at the LFS, there were tanks with a sand base a rock structure and fine plants that caght my eye. i want my 10 gallon to look like this you guys are the start of my reasearch.
if you look done to the ssecond reply thats were i post all the questions that id like answers for.

thanks,platy boy

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Congrats on the long post but platy boy don't we need to know what you are going to stock your new 10g with so we can comment on the plants/substrate?

Assuming that you want help on decor.

Or are you are asking what to stock with?

... finding it hard need a few caps and a bit of punctuation ......... like a question mark so I can search for the questioney bit



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~~~ My fish blow kisses at me all day long ~~~

Sorry guys!

The main questions are:
Do i need a speicial filter to have a sand base?
If i do what type?
Is a 40 watt heater big enough for a 10 gallon?
I have 3 wpg what plants cane i get?
what should i stock with?
How do you clean the sand?
Can any fish be in a tank with sand?
Can i use sand in a freshwater tank?
Were might i find sand?

Sorry i will try my best to edit the first post...(i guess thats why i had a bad mark in L.A).

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

only one i can answer is the heater question.i was alway's told general rule of thumb is 5 watts per gallon.so a 50 watt should do.

Est solarus uth mithas,My honor is my life

You don't need a 'special' filter but you don't want any sand sucked into your power filters so turn it off before stirring up the sand and turn it back on once everything settles. What kind of filter do you have?

The wpg rule really doesn't apply to smaller tanks. Start with some easier plants and if you can grow them well then experiment with others. A really nice starter plant is water sprite. Fine leaves, fast growing, beautiful, tolerant. Vals are pretty too. If all you use for substrate is sand then you will need to supplement some fertilizers.

Mostly you clean sand by skimming the surface with your gravel vac. Most junk stays on the top. Do a deep vac occasionally to keep the sand from compacting. Easy!

I think most any fish can be in with sand. It is just fine for freshwater as long as it doesn't have coral or bits of shell (effects water quality). Some fish that like to burrow or root around, cories for example, will really benefit from sand.

The are lots of kinds of sand you can use as long as it is inert and won't affect your pH or hardness. Many LFSs carry silica sand which is very pretty. I think it is also sold for sand blasting at Home Depot type stores. Another sand you can get is plain children's play sand. It is really cheap. It looks natural but can get a bit messy, settling on decor and plants. Some fertilizing substrate manufacturers make sand (Onyx sand, etc...). Rinse anything really well before using.

As far as stocking...what kind of fish do you like? This setup shouldn't limit you, except for the size of the tank. Do you like small schooling fish or maybe a few showcase type fish? Some possibilities would be a school of 10 or so cardinal tetras, zebra danios, or rasboras. Or a group of guppies, mollies, or platies. A school of cories would be cool if you like those, or maybe a pair of rams. A pair of dwarf gouramis? Really, you have lots of options. Just don't get too enthusiatic and overstock.

the filter i use is an aqua clear outside box filter and for stocking would 2 dwarf gouramis and 3 ottos work?


33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

Do i need a speicial filter to have a sand base? - No, but you do need the intake tube away from the substrate because otherwise the sand will act like sandpaper and file away at your filter workings. It can clog them up or leave grooves in the impeller housing. Either put some rock rubble under the intake and move the sand away a little, or take the extension tube off the filter intake so it is shorter and away from the sand. Also, what Lioness said, turn the filter off if you are going to be doing maintenance or moving sand around.


Is a 40 watt heater big enough for a 10 gallon? Just. I'd personally prefer a 50 or a 75 turned down low, but it does depend on how warm you want it and how hard you want the heater to work.

I have 3 wpg what plants cane i get? I'd get some stem plants myself. I'm a big fan of strictas and vals.

what should i stock with? 3 ottos are going to be messy, but maybe you could. What model number is your filter?

How do you clean the sand? You can just wave your gravel vac over the top and any extra sand you pick up can be rinsed off and put back in the tank when you are done (if you aren't using a python)

Can any fish be in a tank with sand? Yes, but it depends on the type of sand. If it is sand with sharp grains, avoid fish like kuhlies and cories or anything that is likely to try to sift and burrow as it will damage their sensitive parts.

Can i use sand in a freshwater tank? Yes! Almost all of my tanks are done on sand It is much easier to maintain than gravel IMO, and looks very nice.

Were might i find sand? Home Depot or your local pool shop Remember to really rinse it well!

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

thanks for all the help guys i guess i might switch my 33 gallon to sand if this works out for stocking now i want to try 2 dwarf gouramis or 2 rams which would all be new for me thanks again for all the help

,platy boy

33 gallon 7 neon tetras-5 platys-3 bleeding heart tetras-2 corys-1 rainbow shark-2 L83 gibby plecos

This thread has been really helpful on the whole sand thing, I am looking to do a sand substrate on my new 55g set up once I get that rolling...