Burek Posted May 8, 2005 Share Posted May 8, 2005 Hi Guys Ok, In my standard 4ft,I have normal gravel about 2inches high. I changed my mind and now i want to put sand in it, ( river sand,etc). But..Should i take my gravel out first or just chuck the sand over the gravel? Will it be too high? Would Electric Yellows prefer the sand instead? Thanks for your time! Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
novafishy Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 the sand will eventually sink towards the bottom of the gravel since its finer. i'd take all the gravel out, then replace with sand. IMO sand looks more natural. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ViS Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 Any substrate higher than an inch is too high IMHO Unless you are diligent with your vacuuming, it's a great place for waste products to build up. With sand, you can't vacuum it as easily as gravel, so you can't have it too deep. I'm a big believer in "less work = more enjoyment". My tanks have large water turnover, high air volume through the airstones and only a spattering of limesand as substrate (enough to sift through, maybe 4-5mm deep) and the polystyrene is painted in natural tones (brown, green, black, yellow) to simulate a rock / sand lake floor. I have not vacuumed a tank in years and there is no waste buildup in any of the tanks. The water movement simply flushes it into the central filter system. So to get back on track , remove the gravel and put in 2-3cm of sand only Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burek Posted May 9, 2005 Author Share Posted May 9, 2005 Hmmm ok Guess ill take the gravel out first then put sand Thanks for the replies guys, really appreciated Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teflon Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 Sand looks better but after a while it starts to go a blackish colour and start to omit a horrible odour, Also you will need to use a net to scoop all the waste out witch also isnt a fun job HTH Adam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burek Posted May 9, 2005 Author Share Posted May 9, 2005 Damn im confused now Does it always go blackish color?As i never had sand before Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanceswithDingoes Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 If the sand if more than an inch deep it will develop anoxic bacteria which convert nitrates to Hydrogen Sulphide gas (thus the smell) which is desirable in a marine environment but not so in cichlid tanks as the buggers will pile it up on one side an leave the other bare. Sand turns black because algae grows on it. Best bet is marble chip or coral sand if available. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarkey Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 I've had 4-5cm of sand for nearly two years and it has not turned black. From my research, the sand turning black is an indication of sulphur hydroxide gas forming (rotten-egg gas I think). Apparently the gas will only form when the sand is over a certain depth - 7cm ish It was awhile ago that I researched this so I'm a bit hazy on the exact sand depth. My sand is close to that depth so I stir the sand with a stick to make sure the gas doesn't build up. So far I haven't seen any bubbles rising from the disturbed sand - meaning no gas is forming. If the gas does build up and get released into the water column it is toxic to fish. If you stay under 4-5cm you should be fine. The only discolouration of the sand that I have had is where the light reflects off the glass back into the tank and onto the sand, algae can form. Also be aware that if you use a magnetic algae cleaner that sand can get into the cleaner and scratch the glass, depending on the type of filter you are using you can also get sand granules in the impellor area if the water sin't filtered before the pump - eg powerhead. I get very little waste in the tank its not too hard to vacuum it with a siphon - i agitate the water above the waste and make a whirlpool so i don't have to suck up sand. You could also use a fine crushed marble with a slightly larger granule size than sand. It does look natural and gives sand diggers the chance to have a play Just make sure any rocks can't be dislodged by digging - I put my rocks in the tank first and put the sand around the rocks. Goodluck!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burek Posted May 9, 2005 Author Share Posted May 9, 2005 That sums it up for me Thx Dude! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaZ Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 Sand looks better but after a while it starts to go a blackish colour and start to omit a horrible odour, Also you will need to use a net to scoop all the waste out witch also isnt a fun job What makes your sand go black? I've had sand in my tanks for years and none of it is black. You also don't need to use a net to scoop out waste. Andy has already explained why his tanks have no waste on the sand, and I have a similar situation here. My display tank in the house has sand and it's been set up for 4 years. In this time I have never removed a single rock, and I have once had to use a hose to syphon some waste from the top of the sand. Teflon of all the 'facts' you have provided here, only one seems to be true. Using a net to scoop waste out of a tank certainly is not a fun job Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burek Posted May 9, 2005 Author Share Posted May 9, 2005 Lol...Now i dont know if sand will go black or not..So it turns balck if algae grows on it? But other people say they have not had sand going black before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaZ Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 I've had algae grow on my sand in some tanks, and yes it discolours the sand slightly but it has never turned it black. Black sand is normally associated with a poorly maintained tank which has sand which is too deep. I don't have either of those conditions in my tanks If you find algae growing on your sand it might mean you are feeding too much, not doing enough water changes or you are leaving your lights on for too long. Adding some bristlenose cats also helps with this problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burek Posted May 9, 2005 Author Share Posted May 9, 2005 Ok thanks for that Baz, i get you now. Daniel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mianos Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 My eartheater tank is sand. It's not black but I'll admit the fish tend to move a lot of it about from end to end. I only put about 3cm in it so they do occasionally shift it down to the glass. The sand is amazingly clean with Geophagus but I do need to change the floss in the pre filter a lot more than the other tanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teflon Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 Well i had a 30 cm pleco and bristlenose in a tank with sand. Massive waste and the sand DOES go black, its okay if you keeping small fish but in my case i had few big fish that did nothing but crap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 I have sand about 2 1/2 - 3 inches in the bottom of my Foai tank. When i disturb the sand some gas bubbles rise to the top. These bubbles don't stink. Do i have to worry? I run a stick through it asClarkey said every fortnight or so. Considering i have to have sand and a lot of it for my foai what would be best for my situation? Anthony PS: Sorry to hijack your post Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teflon Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 I didn't mean it stinks when its in the tank with water its when all the water is drained out of the tank that the odour is present. I have also heard it bad for the fish as the ingest small particles of the sand which in turn forms a "sand ball" in their guts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burek Posted May 9, 2005 Author Share Posted May 9, 2005 No Probz Ant, i got all the info i need now anyway Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 hmmm...i think this wouldn't effect my foai considering they spend most their day sifting sand (in the wild as well as my tank). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 I have sand in all my tanks now and have never had it go Black. It does go a little green due to algae growth but I have found that stirring it up during water changes lessens the amount of algae growth. Any substrate will go black if its not maintained. Ant For the first few months i had sand in my new set-up when ever i disturbed the sand, bubbles would come out. It has stopped now, so I put it down to it being a new setup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ant Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 ok no problems, my setup is still relatively new (4 months), maybe thats it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anchar Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 Hi Daniel, Andy and Clarkey have said it all Andrea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burek Posted May 9, 2005 Author Share Posted May 9, 2005 Thx Would Electric Yellows like the sand? as i think it looks better lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BaZ Posted May 9, 2005 Share Posted May 9, 2005 Mine love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burek Posted May 9, 2005 Author Share Posted May 9, 2005 Ok. Lol ive been getting sick of gravel because i have always had it, so jsut want to try something different. Cheers Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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