What likes sand?

I've got a great idea for a beach themed tank in my head. My only question, are there any fish I can have that would be ok to have sand as the substrate? The tank will be a 20 high, so no cichlids or too big, although i'd be fine with one or two fish instead of a whole bunch (but then again i'm not totally picky) Would I be able to have otos for the algae with sand? Thanks for the help in advance!

 

otos, corys and clown loaches like sand (I think)
I would put 2-3 angels in there...that would be a cool tall tank

 

mahachaI bettas like sand and really I think a lot of fish would be good, like guppies, tetras, etc.. fish that tend to be upper level swimmers. I think Carol said you can find 'play sand' at the home improvement stores for much less than the same sand would cost at a pet store where it would be sold as silica sand.

 

I've got a tank full of guppys so that would be easy to switch over without having to buy more fish/another tank. I also have a bag of sand left over from my daughters sand box (its the white beach sand, really fine stuff) Is there something I should make sure it does/doesn't have in it before I use it? I have never seen mahachaI bettas in stores around here... does petsmart have them (theres a store about 30 minutes away but ive never been there).

 

Cory catfish would love sand, and you can likely get them at most places. Try to get a few together so they can play together. They are also the fish that will sometimes go up to the surface for a gulp of air and then fart it out on the way down. (which might be amusing to kids especially)

Most other fish are fine with sand, I would avoid bettas. Dwarf gourami have a lot of color and personality, or some male livebearers (all male stops excessive breeding) like Swordtails. I have one swordtail and he is both pretty and active.

I think it is important to rinse the sand a bunch of times before putting it in the tank to get some of the fine dust and dirt out of it.

--B

 

I've got a pair of panda cory cats. I've also got a guppy tank. As much as I'd like to go out and buy more fish, if I could just move some of my others over it would be better. Does anyone know if I can remove all the stuff from the inside of the tank, fill it with new stuff but keep the same filter going, will that still save a lot of the good bacteria, so even if it has to cycle for a few days (or more) it would be better than using a non cycled filter? I just bought a filter for an extra tank of mine, and I thought that this would be a good way to get the bio wheel loaded up with the good bacteria. (sorry its off topic) ;D everyone is just so helpful! I find myself coming here to ask questions or to check before I do something so I make sure I do things right or so they won't be harmful to my fish.

 

Yes- the filter, substrate, and decorations are what hold the good bacteria, far more than the water. So, you could absolutely share the parts of one tank into another, it would really help the cycle!

--R

 

That sand could be alright, but check with Butterfly - she knows more about that. If it's been used outside, i'd probably say it would be better to buy new unused sand, just because you can't see the little microscopic buggers that could be in there from the great outdoors.

mahachaI bettas would mainly be found from breeders. most LFS/LPS don't carry wild bettas. some online stores sell them, but you want to be sure you trust a place when ordering live fish. liveaquaria might be one to check.. and i'm pretty sure miamiaquariums.net could order some.

 

I seem to remember reading about substrates and fine sand becoming anaerobic causing toxic gas pockets to develop - the article sugested a coarse sand to ensure good water flow through the substrate.

 

The extra sand I have is still in an unopened bag. I've got 2 bags of it actually.

I remember reading an article to the same effect about the compacting/toxic gas pockets. It said to just be sure to make sure the sand is stirred up enough to keep it from compacting.

The more I learn about this idea, the more I'm thinking it will be a ton of work, but I still think it's a really cool idea. We will have to see where it goes.

So today I switched my gravel to sand. Didn't realize just how fine the sand was until it was already in there. It's like something you'd see in a saltwater tank. The water is still really cloudy, i'm waiting to see if it clears up or if I'm gonna have to take it out. My question is, will this fine of sand be ok for my cory cats and other fish? I've got 5 guppys, 2 platys, 2 otos and 2 cory cats that call this tank home. I'm worried most about the corys, as they tend to spend the most time on the bottom and eat their food from the substrate. Will they ingest the sand at all?

 

they might, but they tend to spit it back out if they do get a little bit

 

The water has cleared quite a bit. I added my fish and I love the tank now! Their colors are AMAZING against the white sand. My panda corys have been literally rolling in the sand, they seem to love it! I was worried at first but I am so happy with the sand! I switched the background so it's blue. the whole tank reminds me of a salt water tank!

 

got any pics...it sounds really cool!

 

mlinden84 - did you rinse the sand first? unused play sand is good for tanks but it is so dusty and takes forever to get rinsed out so what I use now is pool filter sand because it doesn't have to be rinsed.
I just put the 75G back up using pool filter sand. I don't have the plants or fish in yet but you can kind of get the idea
The first is without a flash and you can see the bubbles
The second is with a flash and you can see the colors and textures better.
Carol

 

Well with all the storms and tornado warnings going on tonight, I've spent a fair amount of time in the basement! Luckily that's where my tanks are so I've gotten some stuff done with them.
I'm going shopping for decorations for the tank tomorrow, all the plants that are in it now are in there only to make it a little more comfortable for the fish until I can get different ones. Both the otos and the panda corys absolutely love the new setup!

mlinden84 - did you rinse the sand first? unused play sand is good for tanks but it is so dusty and takes forever to get rinsed out so what I use now is pool filter sand because it doesn't have to be rinsed.
I just put the 75G back up using pool filter sand. I don't have the plants or fish in yet but you can kind of get the idea
The first is without a flash and you can see the bubbles
The second is with a flash and you can see the colors and textures better.
Carol

Yes I rinsed it for 20 minutes or so. The tank isn't as cloudy anymore, much better than earlier. But I probably didn't rinse it long enough. I LOVE your tank! Absolutely beautiful!

-Michelle

 

I'm so lazy that's why I now use the pool filter sand(don't have to rinse), but I have used play sand and had great luck with it.
Thanks for the compliment The loaches are going into that tank, they really love sand. Seems like anything with barbels around their mouth (loaches, Corys etc) like sand.
Carol

 

I was worried about the corys but I'm glad they like it. What kind of loaches do you have?

If anyone has any suggestions for the tank I'm always open to new ideas!

:;qu -Michelle

 

I guess you could say I'm a loachaholic Clown Loaches (two large ones died due to our move) bought some small ones to replace them,two kinds of kuhlis, striata, yoyo, Angelicus I think that's all
Carol

 

Loaches are fun! When I got my first tank, it had a clown loach in it (apparently the lady I got it from knew nothing about overstocking) I was in the process of cycling another 20 gallon to put him in and get him a friend, but sadly he caught a nasty case of ich and died = ( If /when I ever decided to switch my african cichlid talk to something else, I will definitely get more clown loaches!

:;qu Michelle