lilsoccakid

hey guys! over my 2 week holiday break im hoping to completly change my 20 gal tank, so i have many questions.

1) i will be going and buying many live plants, i already have a lot of java moss.
2)i would like to change my substrate to sand. (my filter intake is very high so now to worried about filter problems)
3) taking out some ornaments and adding a lot of big rocks surrounding the "plant garden" to give it that natural tropical/garden feel
4) i was thinking about making the sand about 4 inches high in the back left corner(with a lot of plants), and with almost a hill effect making it get lower, as if your walking down to an open beach with just all sand and swimming room by the front right corner.

I have this image stuck in my head, and want to see if i can get this to work out well, but without your help i think im getting in way over my head!

now for some questions...

- how do i get plants to live in the sand sunstrate. do i need another substrate underneath? or do i put them in pots?
- Would a mystery snail be appropriate to help keep the sand stirred? (i would also help)
- how should i add the sand, and remove the old substrate without causing a mini cycle? (i have a lot of filter media, but should i hang my old substrate in the tank in some panty hoes for a week or so?

- would the following fish be ok with this substrate?
-1 female dwarf gourami
-6 neon tetras
-2 cories (leopard and green)
-1 oto
-2 platys
- ghost shrimp

any other things i should know about this before i get into it? thanks guys!

Barbrella

Do you know what kind of plants you want to get? It's hard to answer anything else about them until we know that, and know how much light you will have. Some plants don't need to be planted at all, and others have a lot of demands.

The cories will love the sand! The rest of the fish won't really care. As for changing the substrate, you might want to change just half at a time, to avoid removing the bacteria bed all at once. I know it's a pain, but might be worth it in the long run.

A Mystery, or Apple snail is not a good choice for a 20 gal tank. They grow far too large and make huge messes creating a strain on the system.

lilsoccakid

thanks for the repsonse!

my WPG is only .75. maybe i will upgrade this week, but will not know wat plants until later in the week.

any other ideas as far as snails go?

thanks for your help!

ps. ill check on plants tonight online and try to get some ideas out there

Barbrella

I'm in the same situation as you are - less than 1 WPG. About the only plants that will survive are Java ferns, Anubias and possibly some varieties of Cryptocorne. I have the JF and Anubias. I tied them to my driftwood to get them closer to the light and so far they're doing very well.

Zebra Nerite snails are great in tanks, but they do feed heavily on algae, so might be better to wait until you have some.

Malaysian Trumpet Snails will burrow through the substrate, but I'm told they breed like crazy. I put a bunch of babies in my tank months ago and haven't seen them since!

tkfury

Nothing to really go with your questions but I personally like the idea of sand with dwarf gouramis. I've seen a few tanks at the store with 'em, some with sand and others with gravel - the ones with sand just seem to "glow" more. I'm sure she'll love it

metal_fish

i would put sand in my tank but um worried about having it with a high powered filter also and how do you clean sand do you vacumm just like with gravel?

lilsoccakid

you can just vacumn about 1 cm above the sand and it wont get picked up, unless u use a very fine sand

another question...

im guessing .75 WPG is not enough for even low light fish. should i go with 20W or 30W for my next light if my 15 isnt enough?

lilsoccakid

just added the sand and removed the gravel except for some still in panty hoes. also got a couple live plants and 2 more corys and a black mystery snail...ill post pics once the tank clears up a little!

neverendingninja

I'm not sure, but I think some mystery snails eat plants. Might want to look into that.

lilsoccakid

heres some pics of the new setup!

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	fishtank3-1.jpg (79.5 KB, 14 views)

sirdarksol

Looking awesome. By the way, you can actually touch the vacuum to most sand and it will only pick up a tiny amount. I lose less than a teaspoon during each vacuuming, and most of that doesn't come out of the bucket when I pour it out, so I use a siphon to put the water back, and vacuum the sand back into the tank. This kind of helps keep the sand cleaner.

dsmfishgal

Isn't that mondo grass in the backdrop?

sirdarksol

Good eye fishgal (I think). Mondo grass, sady, won't survive. It's actually a terrestrial grass that probably grew in floodlands, so it can survive for a few weeks while submerged before it starts rotting.

lilsoccakid

really? wow petsmarts advice keeps getting better and better

sirdarksol

Fell for exactly the same thing. In fact, going back there, explaining to them that Mondo grass is not a water plant does nothing. They just swear that I'm wrong. Never mind that it's unlikely that any of them have ever picked up a botany book.

lilsoccakid

and i dont think they have a return policy.. thats the last itme i spend a penny in that store. i found small little store that has everything, along with great fish care, and incredible prices!

i guess these plants are a ticking time bomb

sirdarksol

I pulled mine and planted them Snapple Elements bottles with some planting gel almost a year ago and they've been doing great ever since.