Best Substrate?

[FISHLIPS]

today i cleaned both of my tanks and noticed that the gravel substrate traps alot more waste then the other tank with fine sand,so my question is....wouldn't all this extra waste trapped in the gravel contribute more amonia into the water then sand and in my tank with sand does the filter pick it all up?

both tanks have a current fan to keep everything moving so the filter has a chance to pick it up

the sand tank has geophagus tapajos that never stop sifting so i wonder if the geo's non-stop sifting if breaking down the waste and the current fan is moving everything easier to be picked up by the filter therefore explaining the cleaner water in pales when vacuuming?

the sand tank seems to have clearer water too.....also has smaller fish

[MarkoD]

i use aragonite in all my african tanks and its awesome.

i turn on the lights, my pleco swims around the bottom and all the crap goes flying straight into the filter

[FISHLIPS]

i use aragonite in all my african tanks and its awesome.

i turn on the lights, my pleco swims around the bottom and all the crap goes flying straight into the filter

it looks like it alters the ph.....will it work for S/A CICHLIDS?

Edited December 23, 2010 by FISHLIPS

[MarkoD]

no idea, i keep african cichlids and it keeps the PH nice and high

[BettaFishMommy]

for SA cichlids you don't want to use aragonite, IMO. play sand or pool filter sand would be best. and play sand is cheap! i paid 7 bucks for a 50 pound bag of it at home depot. needs good rinsing though!

[jvision]

I use sand in all my tanks, now. I've used differing grades of gravel and sand, and like the look of sand overall. The key with sand is that you must have something that will keep it turned to avoid creating anaerobic pockets that will release H2S gas. Cichlids are great for that, as are MTS and other snails. Having a heavily planted tank will also keep a sand substrate oxygenated.

[corrosionjerry]

My fav. is silica 7-8 / I hate play sand it is a little to compact

[Vallisneria]

My fav. is silica 7-8 / I hate play sand it is a little to compact

I agree, I hate playsand but I like sil 7-8 or 9(like a finer gravel) as its coarse enough to vacuum without sucking it all up and doesn't compact or get into the filter.

[fairdeal]

I switched almost all of my bigger tanks over to sand a long time ago. I read all the pros and cons and decided overall the sand would work best.

It is much easier to clean as the debris all lays on top as the sand is too compact for anything to slip underneath like your comment on the mess in the gravel when you cleaned your tank. I can't even remember the last time I actually had to vacuum anything out of my tanks except the pleco tanks after a good old feed of zucchini. Then the waste from the fish just accumulates in 2 or 3 pockets which are very easy to clean up. I've found using Malaysian trumpet snails has reduced the junk to virtually nil as they come up at night and eat absolutely anything they can find - food , plant matter and even the fish crap. They also till the sand like earthworms do in dirt and haven't had any gas pocket build up now for 5 or 6 years. Prior to using them I used to have to stir up the sand to release the gas. No more black or brown streaks against the glass which indicates the ominous signs of that deadly gas. Some people say the snails are a problem as they are livebearers and multiply like crazy but any kind of loach or even some cats enjoy a feed of snails every once in a while and helps to significantly keep their population under control. You also have to clear your filter intakes every once in awhile as they crawl right up into the bottoms to see if they can find anything to eat but a small price to pay for all the good they do.

Sand also is much better for any fish with barbels as they are often very sensitive and easily damaged in a gravel substrate and there are no such concerns with sand.

Then too there is the fun factor - most fish just like sand better - sift through it looking for invertabrates, etc. which is their natural habit and they seem to just like picking it up and blowing it out of their mouths and gills.

Gives them something else to do I guess - break the monotony somewhat. Hey anything to keep the fish happy is worth it in my opinion. LOL.

One caution however - larger fish like fronts, cats, etc. when startled or feeding can stir up the sand big time no matter what size or grade you are using and it can be sucked into the filter intakes. I use aquaclears almost exclusively and have to lift the intake tubes (use 1 tube instead of 2 or 3 extensions) or use filter sponges over the intakes to reduce the need to replace the impellers and shafts constantly. The impellers are rotating at such high speeds that it takes no time for the sand to grind them down to being totally useless unless some precautions are taken.

[BettaFishMommy]

You also have to clear your filter intakes every once in awhile as they crawl right up into the bottoms to see if they can find anything to eat but a small price to pay for all the good they do.

oh, this i know all too well! lol. my ramshorns are constantly having a buffet on my aquaclear intake and i have to be diligent about clearing them off or else the filter gets slowed to a trickle and i end up with a bunch of dead snails due to the fact that they can't get off the intake due to the strong flow. time to re-install my 'snail saver' me thinks, lol (intake strainer piece from a marineland hob).