SAND OR GRAVEL?

KarEn · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 11

Going back to fish hobby after 8 months break. Bought a 75 Gal tank, two
eheims, etc etc etc.
Dilemma is that I can't decide what kind of substrate to use. Gravel or
sand. I used to keep crushed coral with africans, but have a feeling that I
should try sand too.
Saw nice sand in BigAL's, and it's a bit $$$ expensive. It's a Cichlid Mix.
Black, brown, and grey mix. Looks nice, and has all trace elements for
Africans. Still can't decide what to do...
I'm planning to get Frontosas and Calvuses (Neolompologus) - I think this is
the right spelling. Smile

Can anyone suggest something? I'm really in need of feedback from
sand\gravel users.

TIA,
KarEn

Archived from group: alt>aquaria

fred · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 7

On Mon, 14 Jul 2003 21:11:15 -0400, "KarEn"
wrote:

>Going back to fish hobby after 8 months break. Bought a 75 Gal tank, two
>eheims, etc etc etc.
>Dilemma is that I can't decide what kind of substrate to use. Gravel or
>sand. I used to keep crushed coral with africans, but have a feeling that I
>should try sand too.
>Saw nice sand in BigAL's, and it's a bit $$$ expensive. It's a Cichlid Mix.
>Black, brown, and grey mix. Looks nice, and has all trace elements for
>Africans. Still can't decide what to do...
>I'm planning to get Frontosas and Calvuses (Neolompologus) - I think this is
>the right spelling. Smile

>
>Can anyone suggest something? I'm really in need of feedback from
>sand\gravel users.
>
>TIA,
>KarEn

in my front tank i have regular play sand from my local home depot
store. just 6 fronts and 4 balck skirt tetra's in a 125 gallon(us).

herb

Moontanman · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 37

>Can anyone suggest something? I'm really in need of feedback from
>sand\gravel users.

Use mortor sand, it's more natural, fish like to sift it and bury in it. Plants
like to grow in it, Gravel is only good for decoration and was first introduced
because teh people who kept aquariums thought most fish naturally lived over
gravel (most live over mud or sand) and they had an insane fear of hydrogen
sulfide build up. Hydrogen sulfide buildup is only a problem in a tank with no
aeration and even then it's rarely a probelm.

Moon
remove nospam from e-mail to send to me, I grow trees in aquariums like bonsai.
I breed dwarf crayfish, great for planted community tanks. If you can get me a
shovelnose sturgeon fingerling (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) no wild caught
please, contact me

Gail Futoran · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 52

"KarEn" wrote in
message $ym.343524@news20.bellglobal.com...
> Going back to fish hobby after 8 months break. Bought a 75
Gal tank, two
> eheims, etc etc etc.
> Dilemma is that I can't decide what kind of substrate to
use. Gravel or
> sand. I used to keep crushed coral with africans, but have
a feeling that I
> should try sand too.
> Saw nice sand in BigAL's, and it's a bit $$$ expensive.
It's a Cichlid Mix.
> Black, brown, and grey mix. Looks nice, and has all trace
elements for
> Africans. Still can't decide what to do...
> I'm planning to get Frontosas and Calvuses
(Neolompologus) - I think this is
> the right spelling. Smile

>
> Can anyone suggest something? I'm really in need of
feedback from
> sand\gravel users.
>
> TIA,
> KarEn

I was always a gravel user but after spending
some time in this ng, decided to try some sand.
I made "beaches" of sand (using the expensive
marine stuff from LFSs, but recommendations
given by others for cheaper sand would work, too)
in a 30G and a 20G. This is the idea in the 30G:

gggggggggggggggggggggggggggssssssssssssss
sssggggggggggggggggggggggggggssssssssssss
sssssgggggggggggggggggggggggggggsssssssss
sssssssgggggggggggggggggggggggggggsssssss
sssssssgggggggggggggggggggggggggggggsssss

Planted dwarf hairgrass, swords, other easy
care plants in sand, and some in gravel. So far
most of the fish prefer hanging around the sand;
there's little spillover to the gravel; and water
chemistry doesn't seem to be any different from
when tanks were all gravel. My experience is
only about 3 months out but with smaller tanks
- water changes about every 2 weeks - I would
think that's a reasonably good test.
[30G animals include Bloodfin tetras, Cory cats,
otos, 2 African Dwarf frogs. In the 20 G with
one large "beach", I have Neon Tetras, Cory
cats, otos, 1 female Betta]

Others might disagree with my suggestion,
but what about trying something like defining
one beach area, leave the rest gravel, and see
how it works? If you hate the effect, it's a lot
easier to change than if you go all one way or
the other.

Note: I recently added a sand beach to a
10G that had gravel, and I didn't have to change
out all the water first. I did vacuum the gravel in
that area thoroughly before removing it with
a spatula. So far, so good.

Gail
San Antonio area TX

Racf · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 138

"Moontanman" wrote in message@mb-m11.aol.com...
> >Can anyone suggest something? I'm really in need of feedback from
> >sand\gravel users.
>
> Use mortor sand, it's more natural, fish like to sift it and bury in
it. Plants
> like to grow in it, Gravel is only good for decoration and was first
introduced
> because teh people who kept aquariums thought most fish naturally
lived over
> gravel (most live over mud or sand) and they had an insane fear of
hydrogen
> sulfide build up. Hydrogen sulfide buildup is only a problem in a tank
with no
> aeration and even then it's rarely a probelm.
>
> Moon
> remove nospam from e-mail to send to me, I grow trees in aquariums
like bonsai.
> I breed dwarf crayfish, great for planted community tanks. If you can
get me a
> shovelnose sturgeon fingerling (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus) no wild
caught
> please, contact me

Lets be careful on the mortar sand. Many of the sands for use in mixing
mortar are not smooth particles. Perhaps what you found was, but many
times (most) its crushed and has sharp jagged edges that will not be
good for many types of fish whom forage...like Corydoras types......
Its hard to recommend a particular type because it varies a lot around
the country. In Houston TX I used coarse sandblast sand from HomeDepot
and its was just a fine gravel with smooth edges. Up here in MN they do
not have such a thing.

Up here playsand and swimming pool filter sand are the things to use and
they are basically identical (except for price).

The sand here from HomeDepot for mortar is sugar sand and is sharp and
makes good sandblasting sand......

Ron Nelson · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 15

Is this going over an undergravel filter? Will it be a planted tank? For my
75 gallon planted with no undergravel filter I used about 100 lbs. of
flourite which spread out to about 4 inches in depth...

Ron

"KarEn" wrote in message$5e7.117000@news20.bellglobal.com...
> How much gravel do I need for 75Gal tank? It's 48x18x20. I bought two
20Lbs
> bags, and thinking of two more. Would that be enough or I can even get
away
> with 3?
>
>
> Thanks,
> KarEn.
>
>

KarEn · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 11

How much gravel do I need for 75Gal tank? It's 48x18x20. I bought two 20Lbs
bags, and thinking of two more. Would that be enough or I can even get away
with 3?

Thanks,
KarEn.

KarEn · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 11

With sand I heard we don't need that much. I used 60Lbs, and it covered
about 1 inch in depth. I have another bag, but I'm thinking if I should use
that one too..

"Ron Nelson" wrote in message$x32.65754@news.uswest.net...
> Is this going over an undergravel filter? Will it be a planted tank? For
my
> 75 gallon planted with no undergravel filter I used about 100 lbs. of
> flourite which spread out to about 4 inches in depth...
>
> Ron
>
> "KarEn" wrote in message
> $5e7.117000@news20.bellglobal.com...
> > How much gravel do I need for 75Gal tank? It's 48x18x20. I bought two
> 20Lbs
> > bags, and thinking of two more. Would that be enough or I can even get
> away
> > with 3?
> >
> >
> > Thanks,
> > KarEn.
> >
> >
>
>

Ron Nelson · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 15

Sand does hold plants down a little easier. I've got a 29 Gallon with sand
and its got probably 1 to 2 inches in it, which seems to work OK...

HTH,
Ron

"KarEn" wrote in message$eP6.817933@news20.bellglobal.com...
> With sand I heard we don't need that much. I used 60Lbs, and it covered
> about 1 inch in depth. I have another bag, but I'm thinking if I should
use
> that one too..
>
>
> "Ron Nelson" wrote in message
> $x32.65754@news.uswest.net...
> > Is this going over an undergravel filter? Will it be a planted tank? For
> my
> > 75 gallon planted with no undergravel filter I used about 100 lbs. of
> > flourite which spread out to about 4 inches in depth...
> >
> > Ron
> >
> > "KarEn" wrote in message
> > $5e7.117000@news20.bellglobal.com...
> > > How much gravel do I need for 75Gal tank? It's 48x18x20. I bought two
> > 20Lbs
> > > bags, and thinking of two more. Would that be enough or I can even get
> > away
> > > with 3?
> > >
> > >
> > > Thanks,
> > > KarEn.
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

Ron Nelson · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 15

I've only had my sand substrate tank up for a couple months. It's a little
more messy looking in my experience so far. (The fish poo doesn't work its
way into the substrate) But it looks ok and the plants stay right where you
put them. So far the plant cuttings from my big 100% flourite tank all seem
to be growing ok in the sand...

Ron

"~Vicki ~" wrote in message@storefull-2198.public.lawson.webtv.net...
> Ya know it is funny that I have never tried sand in a tank. I have
> always used gravel (brown now but in the past bright colours) marbles or
> river rocks. I have found that an old UG plate covered with whatever
> works good for live plants too. The plant roots have something to hold
> on to and it is easy to clean the gunk from under it with a good syphon.
> I will have to try sand one day.
>
>
> Vicki
>

~Vicki ~ · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 172

Ya know it is funny that I have never tried sand in a tank. I have
always used gravel (brown now but in the past bright colours) marbles or
river rocks. I have found that an old UG plate covered with whatever
works good for live plants too. The plant roots have something to hold
on to and it is easy to clean the gunk from under it with a good syphon.
I will have to try sand one day.

Vicki

Racf · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 138

"Ron Nelson" wrote in message$0c2.72805@news.uswest.net...
> I've only had my sand substrate tank up for a couple months. It's a
little
> more messy looking in my experience so far. (The fish poo doesn't work
its
> way into the substrate) But it looks ok and the plants stay right
where you
> put them. So far the plant cuttings from my big 100% flourite tank all
seem
> to be growing ok in the sand...
>
> Ron

Ron did you put root tabs or some other material in the sand before
planting?

Ron Nelson · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 15

I do put root tabs in now and then...

Ron

"Racf" wrote in message$e0p$1@slb9.atl.mindspring.net...
>
> "Ron Nelson" wrote in message
> $0c2.72805@news.uswest.net...
> > I've only had my sand substrate tank up for a couple months. It's a
> little
> > more messy looking in my experience so far. (The fish poo doesn't work
> its
> > way into the substrate) But it looks ok and the plants stay right
> where you
> > put them. So far the plant cuttings from my big 100% flourite tank all
> seem
> > to be growing ok in the sand...
> >
> > Ron
>
> Ron did you put root tabs or some other material in the sand before
> planting?
>
>
>
>

Robert Flory · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 29

Try it... your kuhlis will love it.

Bob
"~Vicki ~" wrote in message@storefull-2198.public.lawson.webtv.net...
> Ya know it is funny that I have never tried sand in a tank. I have
> always used gravel (brown now but in the past bright colours) marbles or
> river rocks. I have found that an old UG plate covered with whatever
> works good for live plants too. The plant roots have something to hold
> on to and it is easy to clean the gunk from under it with a good syphon.
> I will have to try sand one day.
>
>
> Vicki
>

~Vicki ~ · Joined: 16 Aug 2007 Posts: 172

Try it... your kuhlis will love it.
Bob
>
>
>
>
Hey Bob, don't have any coolies (if my daughter had her way tho I would
have a tank full) just red tails. For some reason I have never had much
luck with the $1 coolie but the $8 red tails are great. Go figure.

Vicki