Sand Instead Of Gravel

So, I already have a 55 gallon tank and a 10 gallon tank. We are getting a new tank this weekend (not sure what size, but greater than 30 gallon). I have used gravel in every tank I've ever owned, but wanted to try sand and see if I liked it better. I have read posts on why PFS is better than play sand, but not sure which type of fish would be suitable for a sand tank? We have KuhlI Loaches already, and will be switched to the new tank after it is cycled and ready, but other than that not sure what kind of fish prefer sand over gravel. I want to stay with fresh water, but if salt water is more suitable for sand, I can try that.

 

as long as its a fine sand there should be no issues with freshwater fish

 

If it's fine sand, will the grains of sand be too small? Will fish eat the sand?

 

If it's fine sand, will the grains of sand be too small? Will fish eat the sand?

it won't harm them since it will go through their gills without harming them because of how small the grains will be

 

Are their certain fish that prefer sand?

 

The only thing I know of is snails... seems to take them a short amount of time to adjust to "walking" over the sand... that said, they do just fine (kinda funny watching them adjust tho lol)

 

Are their certain fish that prefer sand?

yeah there are fish that prefere sand but I'm not sure about which so hopefully someone else can help you with that one lol

 

Are their certain fish that prefer sand?

A lot of cichlids prefer it.. so they can move it around to their liking look up shell dwellers, as an example. Rams like it for breeding too

 

The only thing I know of is snails... seems to take them a short amount of time to adjust to "walking" over the sand... that said, they do just fine (kinda funny watching them adjust tho lol)

lol that makes me want sand just to see that

 

lol that makes me want sand just to see that

Go for it! Snails are entertaining anyways.. esp mysteries. Ramshorns I got looked funny trying to "walk" over it as well

 

Go for it! Snails are entertaining anyways.. esp mysteries

I would but it would be a pain trying to take out my gravel and replacing it since I don't have a backup tank lol. haha yes snails are silly and underrated, I love watching my mystery although he has a habit of running over my nerites and plants lol

 

My KuhlI Loaches ate my last snail... So might not be able to have a snail in that tank.

 

If it's fine sand, will the grains of sand be too small? Will fish eat the sand?

usually not. Other than maybe an Oscar, who eats everything, your fish won't Eat the sand. Many cichlids like eartheaters, firemouth, convict etc etc actually enjoy sand. They sift thru it by digging with their mouth and spitting it out. livebearers and many small community fish will more than likely be top and middle of tank fish so they won't be near the sand

 

kuhlis will like it for digging. cories like to dig too.

 

I have pool filter sand in my two tanks and my fish really love it! The betta sleeps on it in his tank and the cory enjoys digging around in it. The nerites have gotten used to the sand; I have one that digs in it.

The good thing about sand is that food won't settle into the cracks like it does with gravel thus wasting less food. It is a bit more tricky to vacuum it since you don't jam your siphon down into it like with gravel. You just swirl your vacuum over the surface of the sand and it sucks up all the debris.

 

Sand is better for cories. The rotting food that gets stuck in gravel wears down their barbels.

 

do pool filter sand and once you see how much more natural it is you will want to change all your tanks over ... Cories Love sand!! and I'm sure others will chime in with a bunch of other fish that do also

 

I switched my 55 from gravel to sand and couldn't be happier!!

 

sand does look nicer and is easier to clean since there isn't anywhere for the poop or extra food to go to. I will probably switch to sand once my current fish are gone. does sand mess with filters?

 

I have an Aqueon 75 hob and the intake is about 2-3" from the bottom and havn't had any issues

 

ah ok ive had sand from the lake nearby which I cleaned before adding in and it messed with my filter propeller so I had to get a new one but its probably because of the type of sand lol

 

ah ok ive had sand from the lake nearby which I cleaned before adding in and it messed with my filter propeller so I had to get a new one but its probably because of the type of sand lol

Or that the intake was too close? Or something was kicking up your sand for the filter to take in? But also, store bought sand (whatever the kind) is screened so smaller (or larger) particles are removed (for the most part at least)

 

Or that the intake was too close? Or something was kicking up your sand for the filter to take in? But also, store bought sand (whatever the kind) is screened so smaller (or larger) particles are removed (for the most part at least)

any of those are possible XD but next time I'm definitely going with store bought

 

I have gravel in my tank and I have lots of big and little fish that are really hard to catch and I want to switch it to sand. How do I do that?

 

Are you asking whether you can switch from gravel to sand with the fish still in the tank, because the fish are hard to catch?
On behalf of your fish, I think they'll be much happier in a temporary bucket or spare tank while you take on such a big job. Head over to youtube for some tips from pros (and non-pros) on how to net fish, and you should be able to get everyone out safely. If you have any plants, ornaments, decorations, driftwood etc, you'll want to take all that out first (has to come out anyways to change substrate).
And you should have 2 nets.
Also, no surprise, you're not the first to ask this question...
How To Catch/net Fish

 

Remove gravel, add sand Black diamond blasting sand (from Ace Hardware) or pool filter sand (from a pool store) are cheap and good options. BDBS needs to be rinsed a lot beforehand. The PFS I use didn't need to be rinsed at all.

You can do this while keeping the fish in the tank. Remove gravel, turn off filter, remove 50% of water in the tank, add sand (use a PVC pipe so you can direct sand where it should go), refill tank (be careful that you don't stir up sand), and when there's no sand in the water column, turn filter back on.

 

Ok thanks. I'm planning on using Carib Sea super naturals tahitian moon sand. I had some advice from my LFS and he told me I could put a divider in my tank, remove all the gravel, and then put the sand in there. And to do it gradually over a few days so I don't put the in any stress.

 

What's the point of the divider?

Carib Sea sand is fine, though it's very expensive. But if that doesn't bother you, then no problem there!

 

I've done this myself with a divider. I suggest doing half the tank, fish will swim away. Then the other half. You can use a soda bottle to direct the sand without making a mess.

 

ok thank you. yeah I was looking at the carib sea sand and it is going to too expensive. because I need about 150 pounds of it for what I want to do. is black blasting sand real black sand ... like carib sea tahitian moon?

 

It's coal slag, but it functions the same as sand. I would go with the medium grit, personally - the fine grit is too fine for me, even finer than sand. If you want whitish/tan sand, go with pool filter sand (from any pool store).

 

is carib sea sand real black sand, what kind of black blasting sand do I get.

 

I have the CaribSea Tahitian Moon sand in a few tanks.

It's a fine sand, but doesn't lift easily when hovering a siphon over it.
Biggest problem I've had with it is getting plants with minimal roots to stay in it long enough for the roots to establish.

 

I used Black Diamond Blasting Sand, grit size medium, from Tractor Supply. I've had no problem getting roots to stay in the substrate.

 

is that size a good size for bottom dwellers and cichlids? Geophagus, bichers, jewel cichlids, oscars raphael cats

 

Yep! Though it sounds like you have some stocking issues, if you'd like to discuss them.

 

Black diamond blasting sand is ok for fish right

I would. I have all of those except the geophagus in a 125 gallon tank

 

Can you list the full stocking of the 125 gal?

Yes, it's safe for fish or we wouldn't have recommended it.

 

4 convict cichlids a bicher, 6 jewel cichlids, 2 oscars, 1 striped raphael catfish ( I don't think I spelled that right), 1 pleco and convict cichlid eggs.

 

Would you be okay with rehoming some fish? Your tank isn't big enough to house all of those fish long term. The convicts and jewels will get very aggressive when breeding, and the oscars are likely to fight themselves or the other cichlids.