# Making the Switch: Gravel to Sand?



## xFishAreFriends (Jan 27, 2011)

I prefer the look of sand over gravel, so how should I go about making this change? 
I know a lot of beneficial bacteria grows in the gravel, so how can I change to sand without having to re-cycle my tank? 
And is it common for sand to get sucked up into the filter? 
How would I prevent this? 
Thanks guys!


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## cossie (Dec 19, 2010)

if i was you i wouldnt go through that efford just for looks.

gravels nice and i know sands better but just stick with the gravel ;-)


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## xFishAreFriends (Jan 27, 2011)

cossie said:


> if i was you i wouldnt go through that efford just for looks.
> 
> gravels nice and i know sands better but just stick with the gravel ;-)


I beg to differ. Sand just looks too pretty! And I always like switching my aquariums' decor up every month or so.


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## snyderguy (Feb 9, 2010)

when i did the switch, I switched new tanks and all and moved all of the water to the new tank and just dumped the sand in. Make sure you rinse out first or it'll be all bubbly and gross but other than that, I didn't do anything really. And I've got some pretty sensitive fish that survived disease free and all.


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## xFishAreFriends (Jan 27, 2011)

snyderguy said:


> when i did the switch, I switched new tanks and all and moved all of the water to the new tank and just dumped the sand in. Make sure you rinse out first or it'll be all bubbly and gross but other than that, I didn't do anything really. And I've got some pretty sensitive fish that survived disease free and all.


Oh, okay! Thanks for the advice, Syder[;


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## blindkiller85 (Jan 8, 2011)

snyderguy said:


> when i did the switch, I switched new tanks and all and moved all of the water to the new tank and just dumped the sand in. Make sure you rinse out first or it'll be all bubbly and gross but other than that, I didn't do anything really. And I've got some pretty sensitive fish that survived disease free and all.


I have a question...how in the heck do you rinse sand without losing it lol...

I have issues rinsing gravel and I just rinsed 150 pounds of it for my 125 and lost probably 5 lbs.


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## snyderguy (Feb 9, 2010)

What I did was just put the sand in a bucket and fill the bucket up with water. Then all the foam comes off and you just get rid of the water and repeat


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## grfury (Feb 2, 2011)

Be very careful with what sand you buy. Some sand, for example "crushed coral" can seriously mess with your pH (it's a natural pH buffer).


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## xFishAreFriends (Jan 27, 2011)

grfury said:


> Be very careful with what sand you buy. Some sand, for example "crushed coral" can seriously mess with your pH (it's a natural pH buffer).


Thank you, I'll keep an eye out for that. Any suggestions on what brand I should get? I like the look of the really white sand.


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## grfury (Feb 2, 2011)

This is my danio tank. The substrate is a mix of bulk substrates from my local fish shop. 2 parts 1-2mm gravel, 1 part 4-6mm gravel, and then 12 parts of "superfine" non argonite sand, this is very important. Argonite sand is for reef/salt water, will put your pH through the roof.


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

You have to let the sand sit in buckets of water for a few weeks before you put in your tank, and like grfury said dont get argonite or reef sand, look for the regular sand, and for the sake of your fish don't buy home improvement sand (play sand), it screws up your water so fast. As for the filter and beneficial bacteria, install a regular power filter but (make sure the intake tube isn't close to the bottom) as you have a small tank, and invest in buying a sponge filter for your bacteria to grow in, you could also put in some lava rock deco that way the bacteria will grow all over it, also not many people know this but the beneficial bacteria grow on every surface of your tank, deco, plants, glass, etc will all have some bacteria. I hope that helps, there is a brand of sand I use I forget the name, it comes in many different colors, and none of the chain petstore sells them, I got mine from a little shack that breeds koi about 30miles from my house, they have every color from white to pink


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

the brand is aqua terra, I just found the bag lol, i used some blue and green sand for my betta bowl, you can mix and match colors, it comes in 5lbs bags, so If you're using a 10g use two bags, it might cost you $10 for both depending on where u go


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## xFishAreFriends (Jan 27, 2011)

e048 said:


> the brand is aqua terra, I just found the bag lol, i used some blue and green sand for my betta bowl, you can mix and match colors, it comes in 5lbs bags, so If you're using a 10g use two bags, it might cost you $10 for both depending on where u go


Thank you so much! Most helpful post, by far.

So while my tank is cycling, I should rinse the sand multiple times, and then just let it sit in a large bucket with water for like two weeks and then add it to tank, wait for it to settle, and I'm good to go? Also, is it okay if my heater touches the sand? It's a little long for my tank..


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## KevinP (Jul 24, 2010)

You should get black sand! I have dreamsed of gettnig blak sand in one of my aquariums. I can't seem to remember the brand might be like Tahitian Black sand but I can't remember.

Hope the switch goes ok! I have never endulged myself in sand as a substrate since I feel it's easier to grow plants in gravel though cleaning sand is easier...


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## xFishAreFriends (Jan 27, 2011)

KevinP said:


> You should get black sand! I have dreamsed of gettnig blak sand in one of my aquariums. I can't seem to remember the brand might be like Tahitian Black sand but I can't remember.
> 
> Hope the switch goes ok! I have never endulged myself in sand as a substrate since I feel it's easier to grow plants in gravel though cleaning sand is easier...


http://cgi.ebay.com/Aqua-Terra-Prem...t=LH_DefaultDomain_0&var=&hash=item8262ccda24

Aqua Terra comes in black[; 
I prefer the white though.

I have zero experience with aquatic plants so sand will be alright for me[; I might add a java fern or java moss here and there.. Hopefully the sand will be alright for them!


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

Don't bury java fern in sand. Tie to something like driftwood or a rock.


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## toddnbecka (Jun 30, 2006)

Pool filter sand is the cheapest and best type for aquarium use if you want "white" sand. It's graded for a uniform particle size, so it doesn't compact too tightly, and it's heavy enough to siphon the dirt out w/out sucking all the sand along with it.


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

it won't matter if the heater is near the bottom, as long as the filter intake isnt, and glad I could help


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## xFishAreFriends (Jan 27, 2011)

e048 said:


> it won't matter if the heater is near the bottom, as long as the filter intake isnt, and glad I could help


Oh good[: I have no money to go out and purchase a new one anyways.



toddnbecka said:


> Pool filter sand is the cheapest and best type for aquarium use if you want "white" sand. It's graded for a uniform particle size, so it doesn't compact too tightly, and it's heavy enough to siphon the dirt out w/out sucking all the sand along with it.


Eh.. I'm kinda afraid it will mess up the pH and all other chemical levels in the water.. I think I'll just stick with Aqua Terra, just to be safe. I don't mind spending the extra couple bucks.



emc7 said:


> Don't bury java fern in sand. Tie to something like driftwood or a rock.


Will do! Thanks for the advice! I think I'll start off with just one java fern and see how everything goes with that, then add maybe a few more plants.


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## SGT Z (Jul 7, 2010)

I guess what I did was pretty dumb but I collected sand from a beach, didn't rinse it, and just dumped it in the new tank. I like it a lot better than gravel, too, and I think my fish do as well. They never dug in the gravel, but they dig in the sand all the time.


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## xFishAreFriends (Jan 27, 2011)

SGT Z said:


> I guess what I did was pretty dumb but I collected sand from a beach, didn't rinse it, and just dumped it in the new tank. I like it a lot better than gravel, too, and I think my fish do as well. They never dug in the gravel, but they dig in the sand all the time.


Oh yeah, probably not the smartest thing..
But hey, it's free, right? Haha.

How are they doing? And how are your chemical levels since putting in the beach sand?


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## snyderguy (Feb 9, 2010)

Regular play sand from walmart works too. That's what I used


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## sm1ke (Jul 27, 2009)

I've heard really good things about pool filter sand, as toddnbecka suggested. It's not the same as crushed aragonite and won't mess with your pH. It also tends to be easier to manage than play sand. If it's ever kicked up, it settles fairly quickly (in comparison to play sand). On top of that, its waaaaay cheaper than any brand name stuff. Can't get it in different colors though  only white.


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## sm1ke (Jul 27, 2009)

Also forgot to mention that if you put sand in your aquarium, make sure to unplug your power filter before doing water changes to avoid getting sand in your motor/impeller. Wait until the sand has settled, then plug it back in. Good luck with the changeover.


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## e048 (Dec 23, 2010)

snydeguy, I tried that once too, and within 30 mins of adding some cycling danios they all died, turned out the silicates in the play sand leaked into my water raising my nitrates and nitrites


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## SGT Z (Jul 7, 2010)

xFishAreFriends said:


> Oh yeah, probably not the smartest thing..
> But hey, it's free, right? Haha.
> 
> How are they doing? And how are your chemical levels since putting in the beach sand?


My feeling was that if the sand came from a beach then it was probably a lot safer than digging it out of the ground or getting it in a bag from Wal Mart since the sand had been there for who knows how many decades or centuries. I figured if it did have any bacteria it was probably good bacteria since it was along a river and the fish in that river all seem fine. More natural than a bag of sand, ya know? Plus I liked the historical fact that it was from Jamestown, so maybe Pocahontas played in that sand at one time. All the fish are fine and the chemical readings have always been good. A lot less nitrates than when I had gravel. The fish poop seemed to always find its way into the cracks between the gravel look really bad. With sand it just sits on top waiting to be cleaned by the vacuum or sucked in by the filters.


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