Q's about sand

[ALX]

I have a bare bottom tank that I will be adding sand to soon. Mainly because I have 4 Kuhli Loaches that need something to dig in. Also I have a few Cory Cats that would probably enjoy having a substrate to sift through.
So I have a few questions about sand.

How much do I need for a 30 gallon tank?

What is the best way to maintain the sand. I probably can't Python it like gravel..

Should I add trumpet snails to keep it turning?

Is there any sand sold out there that I should avoid?

Any sand having tips would be great!

[janma]

I can't understand tanks without sand, so I'm glad youre adding it and the Cory's and Kuhlis love digging in the sand.

I usually put about 5cm of sand on the bottom, about 2 inches. But its up to you how much you want, but if you have planted tanks abut 2 inches could be good.

Sand is easy to maintain, most "dirt" stays on it so you just suck it up if it hasn't reached the filter. Trumpets are not necessary if you don't mind airing the sand yourself with a stick or something. I added trumpets only after I knew that the Assassin snails will keep the population in check. Trumpet population can easily explode. The Assassin snails also dig in the sand.

Avoid sand that smells of gasoline/oil. But I think most sands sold in a LFS is safe. I use sand used for sand blasting. Very cheap and good. Its good to wash it, I didn't and sometimes when the going gets wild and bottom is stired its quite "cloudy". It often doesn't pay off to be lazy. If you live near a beach you can take the sand from there, boil it to be on the safe side though.

And do post pics

[shari2]

Pool filter sand is good and cheap. It is also a large enough grain that it sinks well and will stay put pretty well when vacuuming. Play sand or blasting sand is very fine grain and can end up in the water column, get in filters and wreck your motors. So is the fine sand you get from your lfs. Don't use the sand they supply for saltwater tanks.

I actually have some red sand I got from the beaches by lake superior. Very pretty stuff. I rinsed it in very hot water (repeatedly!) to get any nasties. You can boil it, too, or bake it, then rinse it.

If you don't have plants one inch is plenty. Trumpet snails? You mean malaysian trumpet snails? They do propagate rapidly, but it is usually in proportion to how much food is available. If you don't overfeed there's nothing to worry about. They do a great job of keeping the sand aerated. I've seen khulis messing with them, though I haven't seen them actually eating them.

What else is in the tank? If you have clowns, they'll eat them.

Before adding ANY kind of sand rinse, rinse, rinse! The dust will settle on everything if you don't and you'll have to vac it off of every surface (probably more than once) and the tank will be cloudy till it's gone. I can also imagine it wouldn't be fun for fish gills.

Make sure that there is no air trapped beneath the sand when you add it. If you're adding to an established tank, use a cupful at a time, held close to the bottom (you'll need to move slowly), pour it out and move it about with your fingers to make sure you release any bubbles.
If you don't add snails make sure you stir it periodically with a chopstick or your fingers. Air bubble trapped beneath the surface can develop anaerobic bacteria that will release gasses that kill fish quickly. If you ever smell rotten eggs after messing with your sand, do water changes ASAP!.

[ALX]

thanks for the tips so far! I am excited about adding sand. I have only ever used sand for very small tanks or in dishes in large tanks, so this will be very new to me.

My tank is pretty established now. The actual tank was new in October but all of the filters and ornaments and plants were very aged already.

I have quite a few fish in there. No other bottom dwellers though. Except maybe for the 2 ADFs. I have a variety of Danios, some sort of small tetras, one female betta and a molly and a platty and a barb. The last 3 fish are actually my sisters fish and will be moved out soon. I would love to lighten the load of fish soon so that I can get a pleco.

oh yes, and I do have a few ramshorn and pond snails. The kuhlis or something must eat the babies since I do not get over run.

Ok so back to sand. What is the minimum depth that would be appropriate for the sand to be. I do not plan to plant in the sand. I have anubius and java ferns attached to wood and stuff. And if I do ever plant it will be in pots.

I wonder where I can get pool filter sand.. Do they sell that at Hardware type stores or do I need to find an actual pool supply store?

[starsplitter7]

I got my pool filter sand at a pool store Pinch a Penny. (I tried Wal-mart, Home Depot, Lowes, but none of them had it). It was $8 for 50#. 1 50# bag would be plenty for a 30. My fish love it. I have MTS in all, and when there are too many I put them in the loach tanks. I also hand stir the sand. I tried play sand, and it was a disaster. I would use a minimum of an inch. I siphon the yuck off the top of the sand.

[djoneser]

I don't use actual sand, I am using the 3M ColorQuartz crystals (S type). They are more uniform than sand, and being perfect spheres they are very easy on sensitive barbels on loaches and cats. Because they are man made, they have a weight that is almost gravel class, so even if stirred up, the actual particles fall back to the bottom quickly. I first learned of this stuff on message boards like these. There is a large thread on this product on another board (not trying to redirect anyone) http://www.cichlid-forum.com/phpBB/view ... hp?t=43290 is the link.

Due to the spherical shape, this substrate is not one that anaerobic gasses will form in.

For an idea of what it looks like, I have this substrate in all 3 of my tanks, pictures up on photobucket at http://s253.photobucket.com/albums/hh55/djoneser/

[Stitch051707]

Where do you get 3M ColorQuartz crystals ?

[plaalye]

Stitch do a google search for 3M and use the dealer locater.

djoneser which grade did you use? T or S?

[Diana]

Pool filter sand and sand blasting sand are examples of sand that has all the particles one size. This is good.
Play sand has mixed sizes of particles, including finer material and will pack down.

3M color quartz is a good product, too. The particles are slightly larger than most sand.

Other sand is sold at masonry stores and rock yards and is packaged with particles of one size in the bag. Around here the Lapis Lustre brand name is available in rock yards, landscape centers and masonry stores. (Look up bricks, soil, gravel, soil conditioner, rock and similar terms to find a local store)

For non-planted tanks I would use just enough so it is barely as deep as the trim. Maybe an inch. You can also scatter some pebbles in it for a more natural stream-like look.

To add it to an existing tank you could use a piece of pipe that reaches the bottom of the tank, or add it by the cup, slowly. Wash it first, even the graded material can have some dust in it.
If you drained the tank you could then put the sand (or 3M Color Quartz) into the tank, then put a plate or a plastic bag over it to pour the water in. The plate reduces the force of the water so there is a lot less clouding.

[ALX]

that 3m stuff looks really cool. I don't want to go all the way to Cleaveland for it though

I guess I will just do a search for some place near me that I can get some quality sand from.

I think I will keep the sand pretty shallow. An inch or so.

I have some MTS that live in a bucket right now, so I will be adding them after the sand. I hope they don't over populate too badly!

[plaalye]

I couldn't find pool filter sand or anything else other than playsand, which i didn't like. The playsand here is too fine and an ugly color. I bought a Carib sea product from my LFS called "Torpedo beach". I really like it though it's expensive, about $20. for a 20lb bag.

[Martin Thoene]

Quite nice looking stuff plaalye.

Gets good reviews and it's inert.

Martin.

[plaalye]

I really like it ^^. I've always preferred a black substrate but just couldn't find anything that suited me. This stuff is big enough that you can vacuum and very little makes it's way to the bucket. I've gotten used to the liht color and actually it's probably a more natural color for the fish.
Here's what it looks like in my tank

[djoneser]

I have the S type in my tanks. That big thread I linked to has a link to a vendor that does free shipping, and while I have not ordered from them personally (I got robbed locally at $35 per 50lb bag, bought 150 lbs..), the thread has a link to an online retailer
http://www.vbpstore.com/50-lb-bag-of-3m ... uartz.html
that is reportedly shipping for free. I had once read about someplace that ships the product prerinsed in a bucket even (rinsing 3m ColorQuartz is a major chore, it took me days to get it all rinsed, about 10lbs rinsed at a time in a 5gal bucket, I think the color determines how hard to rinse), but could not find that reference.

[cybermeez]

My vote is for pool filter sand hands down. You can't beat the price, the fish love it and best of all you don't have to rinse it before putting it in your tank. BTW...switch out your substrate gradually so you don't decimate your bio filter and cause an ammonia spike.