# Switching To Sand



## redqueen (Sep 16, 2010)

I currently have one 7 in rbp and i'm getting ready to add a few more. i really like the looks of the sand but is it really practical as far as keeping a clean tank. Any advice?


----------



## MPG (Mar 14, 2010)

Don't use sand (going to when I set my new tank up)but from what I've heard:

Sand makes any food/waste look very noticeable 
Sand could potentially ruin filters
Sand is harder to vac.

That being said, its worth it.


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

I really like sand, it is really easy to keep clean, just run your python (or whatever you use) over the top and it will suck up everything that is sitting on top. Uneaten food shouldn't be left in the tank anyways, so as long as you are keeping up with your maintenance and not over feeding, there's really no reason it should show more detritus than gravel.

There is a risk of the sand ruining the impellers on HOB filters because the impellers are located before any type of filtration media. That can be avoided by raising the intake up in the water column and away from the sand or by using a sponge pre-filter on the intake. If you are using canisters, there is no need to worry about the sand causing damage.


----------



## RuthlessCarnage (Apr 1, 2010)

Go for it, sand looks good in any set up, and it won't get sucked up by your filters like a lot of people think prior to getting it put into their tanks. Just give it a good rinse before you pour it into your tank "slowly" and I mean "slowly" to keep the cloudyness to a bare minimum. It'll go away though don't worry. Good Luck with your tank.


----------



## the_w8 (Jul 28, 2003)

I've kept sand before and liked it, but it was a pain in the ass on my aquaclear HOB....Make sure you give it a good rinse job before putting it in too. The cloudiness will reside later.


----------



## banshee42096 (Apr 29, 2010)

i love my sand yes it shows sh*t and stuff easy but you clean it anyways.my 2 ac 110s have not had a problem as of yet knock on wood.good luck.


----------



## TheCableGuy (Feb 22, 2005)

the_w8 said:


> I've kept sand before and liked it, *but it was a pain in the ass on my aquaclear HOB*....Make sure you give it a good rinse job before putting it in too. The cloudiness will reside later.


x2
Not a good idea to have sand with a shoal, IMO.
I blew a motor on my AC110 a few years back, sand was sucked up the intake during a feeding frenzy and clogged it. When I got home from work, my brand new AC110 was dead.

However, sand looks a lot better than gravel.


----------



## Criley (Jun 2, 2010)

TheCableGuy said:


> I've kept sand before and liked it, *but it was a pain in the ass on my aquaclear HOB*....Make sure you give it a good rinse job before putting it in too. The cloudiness will reside later.


x2
Not a good idea to have sand with a shoal, IMO.
I blew a motor on my AC110 a few years back, sand was sucked up the intake during a feeding frenzy and clogged it. When I got home from work, my brand new AC110 was dead.

However, sand looks a lot better than gravel.
[/quote]

my ac110 burned out.... just go to petsmart and buy a new one and return it with the old one in the box. not the most ethical thing, so i wouldnt do it to a lfs but i dont mind petsmart!


----------



## sick of chiclids (May 25, 2010)

I use a large grain white sand in my 110. Love it. Very little dust and barely kicks up even during feeding.


----------



## Sacrifice (Sep 24, 2006)

sick of chiclids said:


> I use a large grain white sand in my 110. Love it. Very little dust and barely kicks up even during feeding.


Where did you buy this larger grain sand? I'm debating the sand idea in my head as well. But I'm a little concerned about having a group of pygos in my 125g with sand. I guess I could just raise the intake of my XP3 canister higher in the water. If you really think about it, just how much actual big debris does your canister pickup....I don't think that it absolutely has to be so low in the tank.

Nobody has mentioned it yet, but don't you have to periodically mix the sand up to release gas?


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Sacrifice said:


> I use a large grain white sand in my 110. Love it. Very little dust and barely kicks up even during feeding.


Where did you buy this larger grain sand? I'm debating the sand idea in my head as well. But I'm a little concerned about having a group of pygos in my 125g with sand. I guess I could just raise the intake of my XP3 canister higher in the water. If you really think about it, just how much actual big debris does your canister pickup....I don't think that it absolutely has to be so low in the tank.

Nobody has mentioned it yet, but don't you have to periodically mix the sand up to release gas?
[/quote]

There would be no reason for you to worry about sand damaging your XP3, since the filter media is located before the impeller, any random bits of sand will be filtered out before they have a chance to ruin your impeller. HOB filters where the impeller is located before the filter media are the only filters that would be at risk of damage from a sand substrate.

You don't have to mix the sand up to release gas.... deep sand beds can get anaerobic spots over time, but live plants can help eliminate that problem, Malaysian trumpet snails can be added to help stir up the sand, or if nothing else, you can just poke the sand every few inches with a chop stick to help prevent gas bubbles from forming.


----------



## Sanjo Eel (Aug 21, 2008)

I have sand in my 135 with 5 reds. It looks great and is easy to clean. When the fish dart this way or that there's a nice little poof of sand that slowly sinks back to the bottom. Never had a filter suck up any sand, I just raise the intakes.
I used quickcrete pure silica sand and it took a lot of washing to get it clean. Next time I will go with pool filter sand or black moon sand.


----------



## Sacrifice (Sep 24, 2006)

Is the sand heavy enough that you don't suck up too much when vac the over the top of it. I realize that you don't push the vac down in it but simply run it a swirling motion above the sand.


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Sacrifice said:


> Is the sand heavy enough that you don't suck up too much when vac the over the top of it. I realize that you don't push the vac down in it but simply run it a swirling motion above the sand.


Once you put sand in, you kinda have to experiment with how close you need to run the vac over the sand to pick up the gunk without sucking up sand.


----------



## Sanjo Eel (Aug 21, 2008)

JoeDizzleMPLS said:


> Is the sand heavy enough that you don't suck up too much when vac the over the top of it. I realize that you don't push the vac down in it but simply run it a swirling motion above the sand.


Once you put sand in, you kinda have to experiment with how close you need to run the vac over the sand to pick up the gunk without sucking up sand.
[/quote]
Yeah it's an acquired skill. You only need to hover over the sand w/ the vac. But yes, in general I still suck up a little sand here and there.


----------



## Sacrifice (Sep 24, 2006)

How do live plants do with sand? I was thinking about having some amazon swords in my 125g with a sand substrate.


----------



## JoeDizzleMPLS (Nov 5, 2007)

Sacrifice said:


> How do live plants do with sand? I was thinking about having some amazon swords in my 125g with a sand substrate.


They do fine, root tabs should be used with swords since they're heavy root feeders.


----------

