Sand? Pros and Cons

[Lady Hobbs]

Thinking of using sand in my next aquarium. It will house rainbows and corey cats. I've been reading that coreys do well in sand as the gravel tends to scratch their bellys and they like to dig around in the sand. I also like the more natural look.

I've read several places that Home Depot has a silica sand that works well but has to be rinsed many times and allowed to settle before the filter is even turned on. It's like $4 for 90 pounds.

Other than that, I know nothing about using sand other than only the top gets cleaned and you should run your fingers thru it each week to release any air pockets.

What else do I need to know?

[Fishguy2727]

In general I will not put anything in my tank that was not made to go in an aquarium. My fishes' lives are not worth the extra money saved. Sand can cause filters to burn out very quickly if any gets into the intake. For my 150 I am planning on using sand and will be making sure that none of the intakes are more than halfway down the side of the tank to avoid any stirred up sand from being sucked in. I am using Estes' marine sand for my 150 and recommedn you do the same. It is silica based so it won't screw up your pH. It comes in many colors and the only preparation is presoaking, no need to rinse that really dirty stuff from the hardware store and still end up introducing who knows what into your tank.

[Lady Hobbs]

Thanks reptile guy. As always you gave good advice. I have seen Marine sand but thought it contained coral shells and would raise the pH.

Do the LPS have what you've recommended?

[Fishguy2727]

Most marine sands are calcium carbonate based and will raise pH and harden water, but I talked to Estes directly concerning their marine sand and the guy assured me there was no way it messes with pH, it is 98-99% silica and even has a plastic coating (not quite sure why, but I assume it helps somehow, maybe helps the sand from breaking down further). If your LFS does not have it they most likely can special order it for you, otherwise you could order it online.

[Lady Hobbs]

Thanks again for your never ending help. I think sand is what I want. If I go rainbows or cichlids, it will be approperiate and also for the cory's.

I did much looking at peacocks last night and really are interested in going that way. I am just a bit concerned with the mating like rabbits. I don't want to end up with 3000 cichlids as what would I do with them all? LOL

[Fishguy2727]

What size tank is it? Peacock cichlids need about 55 minimum and would have to be by themselves (as in no cories or any other fish). Synodontis catfish are the only exception and can go in the hard, high pH water that the peacocks need (they are form the same lakes). They also help keep the number of surviving fry down. The other thing is if you have no female peacocks, they obviously can't breed and many people like this because it is the males that have the unbelievable colorations. The females are usually a drab gray or brown, like all the juveniles. Most cichlids would not be appropriate for cories, but there are a few that are.

[Lady Hobbs]

:) You have given me so much information that I have notes piled in front of me about 2 inches high.

Males would definately be the way for me to go if I don't want tons of them. It would hold down aggression as well if breeding wasn't going on.

I have probably 80 fish and not once have I had a fry. I don't know how many times I have bought 6 or 8 fish of a species and it appears I have always gotten males. Some I just can't sex yet but it sure seems like one female would have ended up in the batch.

The only exception to this would be in the beginning I purchased 3 Mollies and one was a female. I hated them and they are no longer with me.

[Fishguy2727]

The males may still argue with eachother, but with proper stocking and setup it should not be at a problematic level. Many fish are very hard to sex and the likelihood of a group of 8 being all one gender is less than 2%. Most need special triggers to start breeding and otherwise all will act like nothing is going on and will not breed.

[Lady Hobbs]

I forgot about my gold gourami. I do have one that is female. She spends so much time hiding on the bottom that I even forgot I had her. :) I have 9 black skirts. Must be a female in there somewhere. Also have 6 Silver Dollars (not yet mature) so hopefully at least one will be female. But then, I don't care if they breed or not since I don't want to overstock.

My tank will be either a 55 or 75. Probably more than likely a 55 since I have to borrow a truck and drive for 2 hours to get a 75!! A 55 I can get right here in town and it will fit in my backseat. How many peacocks do you think would be OK for a 55 gallon?

[Fishguy2727]

Probably 2 groups (1 male and 2-3 females per group). In that setup you would want to piel rocks at each end, not all across the back, that way there is a clear distinction between each male's territory. Or you could have the equivalent number of males with no females in which case you could have the rockwork across the entire back of the tank. If you can afford it I would go with the 75, it will be worth it.

[Fishguy2727]

And unless they have been triggered to breed characins (including tetras and silver dollars) among many other fish will not be sexually dimorphic. So there is no way of telling for most fish under normal conditions.

[turbomkt]

Carol,
Just coming back from the DSL dead (major phone lines cut affecting 4600 people for a week).

If you go the home depot route, which is not a horrible idea, it's typically the play sand people have been using. What depends is where you are and where they get the sand. Sometimes it's a really fine sand I've gotten and others it's a lot more coarse. You want it to be more coarse so it doesn't compact as much (This applies to about all substrates). MTS can help with keeping substrate stirred up.

Another thing to look into is T grade Colorquartz from 3M. It comes in several colors, to match your needs, and is completely inert.

[Lady Hobbs]

I've wondered where you were. I also had computer problems off and on all week and this morning was the worst. Couldn't do anything.

I've also read play sand is too fine and goarser sand like beach sand should be used. Black would be awesome! Here I always thought sand was sand. Who'd have thunk it!

[turbomkt]

The Colorquartz isn't natural sand, but has good texture and uniformity. Add in the plethora of colors and it's a great choice at a darn good price ($28.04 for 50lbs in SoCal). S Grade is cheaper ($20) but much finer and should only be used in smaller tanks.

Here's a link ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.]) to 3M's Color Quartz site. It's actually used to make swimming pools and a number of other things.

[Lady Hobbs]

Thanks for the link. I've bookmarked it. It doesn't mention if it can be used for aquariums but guess it can. I just need something smooth enough to not injury cory's.

[kimmers318]

Just for my 2 cents worth....I changed my 20 gal long to sand last spring (it had previously been a Q tank) and decided to try a couple of my cories and my kuhli loaches in it. They love it, and so do I. I bought aquarium sand at a petstore, it was super naturals by caribsea, I was assured it would not alter water. The only downside is it only came in white...they had colors that I didn't want, and the black said it would alter water. I see my kuhlis all of the time now, and so far haven't had any problems with the sand hurting my filter impeller. When I have the time (maybe in 10 years) I want to change my other tanks over also, but also would like to find the black to mix with the white to darken up the bed a little. The white is just too bright. I think you will be pleased with it Hobbs. My puff tank is the first one I want to change to make it easier to get all those dead snail shells out of there!

[Lady Hobbs]

White sand is OK too and probably more natural looking to them. By the time you add a ton of plants, logs and rocks, half of it is covered up anyway.

Thanks Kim and glad to see you back with us!

[Fishguy2727]

The Estes marine sand does not alter water chemistry and comes in an assortment of colors. I am going to have 60 pounds of black and 100 pounds of white in my 150.

[Lady Hobbs]

Has to be ordered or carried in pet shops?

[Fishguy2727]

Some carry it, but they may have a limited selection. If they carry it or any Estes' product, they should be able to special order it for you.

[Lady Hobbs]

Sure I can order it but if not I found it online for 25 lbs for 6.80. Good enough price, I think, but of course doesn't include shipping.

[Fishguy2727]

That's the only problem, with other equipment buying online is great, but considering the weight of sand it may be cheaper to just special order it from a LFS. Check out a site that you can determine the actual total cost and then compare it to your LFS.

[SCOOTER]

Hello, I use pool filter sand in my 125 gallon tank. Purchased it for around $6.00 for 50 pound bag. It is heavier than play sand, so it is not sucked up as easily & will not affect your ph levels. One thing to remember when using sand, is to turn off your filters when doing any maintenence. Good luck!

[Lady Hobbs]

I saw in a few sites that pool sand is better than play sand.

[SCOOTER]

I have no complaints whatsoever, and the fish seem to like it better than gravel.