Aquarium Sand

[Mosha]

When I kept fresh water tropical fish in the UK I used sand as a substrate. It's easier to maintain than gravel. I got the sand from builders merchants, on the recommendation of the shops I used for my aquarium supplies. Is the sand from builders merchants here safe?

Edited September 9, 2015 by Mosha

[worgeordie]

Sand is not a good substrate to use in a Freshwater aquarium, it beds down too

much and will create anaerobic areas,i.e.the sand will go black,give off a bad

smell and kill the fish, I don't know where you are located, but where I am,you

can find a very small gravel ,which is what I use,sand merchants,have different grades.

regards Worgeordie

[Mosha]

Sand is not a good substrate to use in a Freshwater aquarium, it beds down too

much and will create anaerobic areas,i.e.the sand will go black,give off a bad

smell and kill the fish, I don't know where you are located, but where I am,you

can find a very small gravel ,which is what I use,sand merchants,have different grades.

regards Worgeordie

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/sand.php

"The benefits of a sand bed typically outweigh most of the negative aspects. Most fish seem to prefer sand as the substrate, and some actually require it to feel at ease and for natural spawning behaviour. Tanganyikan featherfins, sandsifters & shelldwellers all significantly benefit from a sandy substrate, and it’s been noted that some fish use sand to aid in digestion. Sand also has a very nice, smooth look and it’s very entertaining to watch the fish "work the sand"; they really seem to enjoy it!"

[worgeordie]

Sand is not a good substrate to use in a Freshwater aquarium, it beds down too

much and will create anaerobic areas,i.e.the sand will go black,give off a bad

smell and kill the fish, I don't know where you are located, but where I am,you

can find a very small gravel ,which is what I use,sand merchants,have different grades.

regards Worgeordie

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/sand.php

"The benefits of a sand bed typically outweigh most of the negative aspects. Most fish seem to prefer sand as the substrate, and some actually require it to feel at ease and for natural spawning behaviour. Tanganyikan featherfins, sandsifters & shelldwellers all significantly benefit from a sandy substrate, and it’s been noted that some fish use sand to aid in digestion. Sand also has a very nice, smooth look and it’s very entertaining to watch the fish "work the sand"; they really seem to enjoy it!"

You can use sand as long as its not more than 1-2" deep,otherwise you will have anaerobic

problems,but what do I know,after been in the Aquarium industry for over 30 years.

like I said a very small gravel would be a better choice.

regards Worgeordie

[Mosha]

What I found was the fish crap was easier to remove from a sand substrate, and at the moment I'm runnnh a bare tank, Just fish and potted plants

[kelboy]

Go and get some swimming pool filter sand,just the job.

[mistitikimikis]

I was discussing my problem with the "pet / fish shop". He wanted to deliver me river-gravel of about 4 / 5 / 6 cms diam. (30 Baht/kg.)

Before I had a lot smaller gravel. I wasn't thinking about the depth of the tank: 90 cms, so almost impossible to clean with the excisting cleaning equipment (tubes and a ball).

I emptied the whole tank which is 1.50 x 0.60 m. and want to start again. I'm considering now to make a new (glass) bottom, higher then the old one, strut by bricks or wood.

Besides the sand or gravel discussion anybody can give me some ideas?

Thanks!

This was the tank in 2013: http://www.antoniuniphotography.com/p470131130/h58da05eb#h58da05eb

[Semaxii]

Suitability of sand for an aquarium depends upon its chemical composition inc possible contaminents & the desired water chemistry. Coarseness of sand or gravel might also be bad for some bottom dwelling fish like loaches, corys.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Semaxii

[eaglesflight]

Sand is not a good substrate to use in a Freshwater aquarium, it beds down too

much and will create anaerobic areas,i.e.the sand will go black,give off a bad

smell and kill the fish, I don't know where you are located, but where I am,you

can find a very small gravel ,which is what I use,sand merchants,have different grades.

regards Worgeordie

http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/sand.php

"The benefits of a sand bed typically outweigh most of the negative aspects. Most fish seem to prefer sand as the substrate, and some actually require it to feel at ease and for natural spawning behaviour. Tanganyikan featherfins, sandsifters & shelldwellers all significantly benefit from a sandy substrate, and its been noted that some fish use sand to aid in digestion. Sand also has a very nice, smooth look and its very entertaining to watch the fish "work the sand"; they really seem to enjoy it!"

You can use sand as long as its not more than 1-2" deep,otherwise you will have anaerobic

problems,but what do I know,after been in the Aquarium industry for over 30 years.

like I said a very small gravel would be a better choice.

regards Worgeordie

You know very little by the sound of it. Having been involved in the aquarium industry doesn't mean very much: the majority of shops I've visited around the world have been poorly run, with only a small minority actually operated by people with any real knowledge of fish keeping.

Sand is fine as a substrate, in fact for fish such as Cories, it's preferable. Use gravel and their barbels will eventually wear away, which can lead to fungal and bacterial infections. It's used by millions of fish keepers around the world but what would they know eh? Take a look a cichlid keeping forums, or any freshwater fish forum, for more info.

Pool filter sand is a good choice as it's chemically inert and is cheap too. Sand from a builders merchants is more difficult to judge as sources may vary. I imagine much of it is river sand, which should be fine after a good wash. You should be able to go up to 3 inches with no issues.

[cyberfarang]

Sand is not a good substrate to use in a Freshwater aquarium, it beds down too

much and will create anaerobic areas,i.e.the sand will go black,give off a bad

smell and kill the fish, I don't know where you are located, but where I am,you

can find a very small gravel ,which is what I use,sand merchants,have different grades.

regards Worgeordie

I have found the exact opposite. Have two large outdoor concrete tanks filled with fresh water fish. Used to place gravel and some small stones on the floors of the tanks, but within a couple of weeks the gravel and stones became covered in smelly dark green and black algae that was impossible to clean off. Then I decided sand would be a better option. Bought some regular pure builders sand, washed it all in buckets and then added it to the tanks about an inch in depth, placing a few small stones on top. This was 7 years ago and not had any problems. Up here in Chiang Mai the nights can grow cold during the cold seasons and the sand does add warmth to the water.

Eventually the sand settles with the muck only settling on the surface that flows away when the tanks are drained or can be taken out with fish nets. Have some sucker fish that love burying themselves in the sand. Also these little red worms breed in the sand that the fish eat and thrive on.