# Sand



## RacerX (Aug 27, 2005)

I have been looking around at picture of tanks and seen people with sand in some and I have a few questions.

Is sand hard to clean?

Should I wait till Im more experinced to put sand in?

Again guys Thanks for the help and sorry for all the questions.


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

Sand isnt hard to clean. it doesnt have all the nooks and crannies like the gravel does for waste and excess food to dissapear into. All you really have to do is skim across the top of the sand to remove any debris. You dont have to be more experienced to use sand. Heres a thread all about sand http://www.fishforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4170&highlight=sand


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## RacerX (Aug 27, 2005)

so what would i use to skim across it?
Im thinkin my Vac will suck the sand up.


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## fishfreaks (Jan 19, 2005)

you use the gravel vac, if you hold it about an inch above the sand you may suck up a little here and there but thats it


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## RacerX (Aug 27, 2005)

Ok well .....Good Bye Gravel! Hello Sand!


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## solar-ton (Aug 15, 2005)

but dont get play sand its hard to clean and plecos get annoyed by it


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## IloveCichlids (Jul 11, 2005)

Play sand is ok as long as you clean it good. 3M color quarts is good if you can find it. Tahitian moon sand is expensive and apparently they are not producing it anymore, or you can use white pool filter silica sand. Whatever you do just rinse it really well before you use it.


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## solar-ton (Aug 15, 2005)

tahitan isle moon sand  HA what do you call this cheap and it exists my foot they dont make it anymore.of course for planted tanks i would use flourite.


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## IloveCichlids (Jul 11, 2005)

If you would read, I said it was expensive and they do not produce it anymore (Tahitian Moon Sand), although you can still find all though not as easily!


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## solar-ton (Aug 15, 2005)

okay lol at least you know where to find it lol


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

Every so often, you should sift through your sand, especially when you have a thick layer. This will prevent gases building up under the dead zone layers. I do it every other water change, or twice a month. I use an afro pick, and stab the sand every few inches around my plants, and rake through the sand in the non planted areas.

I use play sand, got it for 3 dollars for a 50lb bag. You do have to rinse it thoroughly, as said before.


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## solar-ton (Aug 15, 2005)

try a old pillow case and rinse it until it runs clean


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

I forgot to add...

Sifting/raking through the sand reduces the chance of anaerobic bacteria building up, reducing gas pockets that can be harmful to fish in the confines of aquaria. An example: if you've ever gone swimming in a natural body of water, wether it be a pond/lake/stream/river; have you ever stepped on a "mushy" part of the bottom, and bubbles coming to the surface emitting a stink?


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## solar-ton (Aug 15, 2005)

ive done it in my pond


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## Jonno (May 22, 2005)

i love sand find it looks cleaner as well i bought a net and sived it through to get most of the waste out!!


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Since we're on the subject, I have a question also. I use my gravel vac, but it doesn't want to suck up much of the stuff on the surface of the sand. It will suck up some, but I find myself ending up with a 50% + water change if I try to get all of the debris. I'm just using a plain old siphon hose with the hard plasitc end. Is there a better method?


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## fishn00b (Jun 10, 2005)

I have that same problem too... If I can't get it out by 25% or so, I usually just net out all of the debris. But you guys were talking about poking the sand to get the gases out, cant MTS do that, or do you have to do that as well, and the MTS just help.


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## mlefev (Apr 19, 2005)

Well to get the gasses out, I just use this old, dried-up ballpoint pen I have. I poke it into the sand, and that's not a problem. I just don't know how people keep it very clean. I was fine my first month - 2 months. but now I have fish poo on everything. It's around the plants, under the plants, in decorations, under decorations, around the sides...everywhere. And when I clean weekly, I'm still displacing at least 50% of the water. I haven't seen my fish get sick, but it seems like too much.


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## fishn00b (Jun 10, 2005)

Yeah, I've been noticing that too and sometimes the sand in my tanks will turn a green color too, like the algae is growing on them and making little patches of it. It seems like alot ofwork, but i just try to get the skimmer i guess to pick it all up. I mean if the vacuum doesn't work for sand or we entirely sure it works for gravel?


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## solar-ton (Aug 15, 2005)

i forgot 1 thing try and put like a piece of old stocking on the tip to help catch the debris and not the sand


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## fishn00b (Jun 10, 2005)

That would work? Isn't some of the debris too large to fit through the holes in a stocking?


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## euRasian32 (May 19, 2005)

fishn00b said:


> I have that same problem too... If I can't get it out by 25% or so, I usually just net out all of the debris. But you guys were talking about poking the sand to get the gases out, cant MTS do that, or do you have to do that as well, and the MTS just help.


The MTS's are supposed to do that. I have over 50 MTS's in my tank, I poke the sand as a precautionary measure. I have a 125 so I won't rely on the MTS's to fulfill their job completely.

Debris doesn't sink down in the sand like it does in a gravel substrate, therefore only skimming the top is necessary.


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## Meeocky (Sep 7, 2005)

Since this thread is already started, I'll just post in here instead of making a whole new thread about sand.

I have a lot of questions about sand.
- Would it be ideal to have sand in a 55gal community tank w/ bottom feeders (no live plants)?
- Is sand a lot easier to keep up than I think?
- When the sand is disturbed, how long does it take to settle?
- When the sand is disturbed, does the water get cloudy very easy?
- Do bottom dwellers stir up the sand often?
- What about when fish get "spooked" and start darting back and fourth?
- Are there any major disadvantages with sand?


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## fishn00b (Jun 10, 2005)

Well I have sand in both my 10 and 30 gallon tanks. In my 30 gallon it looks really good, but I do have it planted and have some MTS in there to get air int there. If you've been reading the thread you'd see that gasses build up in the sand and need to be released... unlike gravel. I would say sand is easier to keep up with just because you don't have to be going digging around everywhere to get the feces. It lays right on the top (and blends in most of the time too). 

The sand usually takes a few hours to settle depending on how badly you disturb it. For example... if you just put your hand in the tank and grab a handful and throw it in the tank it should just float right back down to the bottom in a matter of minutes. But if you are changing the water and dump a few gallons of water churning up all of the sand it could take an hour or so to calm down. To prevent this you should wash out the sand thoroughly before putting it in the tank. Make sure all the dust and debris is out before setting it in. That way if it ever is disturbed, very minimal dust particles will fly out into the water. The way i see it is, the sand is more dense than water so it should always stay on the bottom regardless. 

Depending on your bottom dweller they might stir up your sand but not to the point of where it would cloud your water. I have a blue crayfish and a few crabs in the two tanks and they like to carry the sand with them and build little ditches, but it doesn't affect the water in any way. If a fish is spooked and swims really fast the sand should not stir up mainly because of the previous fact that its heavier that water... if you take your hand and fan it (ie. swish the water back and forth close to the sand) you'll see that the sand is just pushed aside and creates a dip in it. You could use this method to sculpt your sand, but once again it doesnt stir it up if you clean it correctly. 

I don't know if there are any disadvantages to sand, but honestly its your preference. If you think it looks better then I would go with it, but if not there isn't anything wrong with gravel. I bought my sand from Home Depot and washed it extensively before I put it in the tank. This is why I stressed so much to clean it out. If you leave it like it is the dust will contaminate the water and destroy your filter. Besides if you clean it out, it will look very nice and stay at the bottom like it should and your water and tank will look excellent.

This is what I have got from my experiences with the sand bottom, but there are more knowledgable people here on this site that I would ask too. I'm not always confident about my information because I too am practically just beginning. Good luck.


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## Meeocky (Sep 7, 2005)

fishn00b said:


> Well I have sand in both my 10 and 30 gallon tanks. In my 30 gallon it looks really good, but I do have it planted and have some MTS in there to get air int there. If you've been reading the thread you'd see that gasses build up in the sand and need to be released... unlike gravel. I would say sand is easier to keep up with just because you don't have to be going digging around everywhere to get the feces. It lays right on the top (and blends in most of the time too).
> 
> The sand usually takes a few hours to settle depending on how badly you disturb it. For example... if you just put your hand in the tank and grab a handful and throw it in the tank it should just float right back down to the bottom in a matter of minutes. But if you are changing the water and dump a few gallons of water churning up all of the sand it could take an hour or so to calm down. To prevent this you should wash out the sand thoroughly before putting it in the tank. Make sure all the dust and debris is out before setting it in. That way if it ever is disturbed, very minimal dust particles will fly out into the water. The way i see it is, the sand is more dense than water so it should always stay on the bottom regardless.
> 
> ...


WOW, VERY helpful info. Thanks!
Yeah, I read there's a gas that builds up underneath the sand. I saw in this thread someone uses an afro pick to get to the gas. I'll probably buy one to use.

Ok, I see. Once I rinse the sand really good, it won't be like the typical sand like on the beach. It'll be much cleaner so it won't be disturbed as easy. How do I go about cleaning the sand real good? I read someone uses an old pillow case. What other methods work to get it real clean?


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## MiSo (May 3, 2005)

i use sand in my 55 gallon... 

actually its a mix. 20 lb bag of eco complete and 20 lbs of black sand. 
forgot the brand of sand i used but it was $4 per 5 lb bag. 
the sand settles unbelievably quickly. 

i like sand alot better than gravel. there's no place for debris to hide. 
and to clean the bottom, i attach a hose to my intake tube and i just hover over the bottom.


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## Meeocky (Sep 7, 2005)

How do you guys clean your sand real good? Any tips?


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