But you were not supposed to use sand in quarantine tanks, Tcarswell, for hygiene reasons. Maybe you have a reason for that I am sure. For the filter issue, turn off the filter first until the sand settles. I always do that with my sand tanks.tcarswell;3202711; said:
Why not to use sand
- Thread starter Polyptasaurus
- Start date
apparently people who get sand in thier filters don't know to rise the intake slightly
or use a prefilter on the intake
or use a prefilter on the intake
i just spent the last hour searching through online chemistry journals and my university chem sites and cant find anything to support the OPs argument. I would be really intrigued to see which research papers his sister reads to provide evidence. Could the OP or his sister via himself please cite a source, purely out of scientific curiosity?
I cannot believe how long this thread is going on for...
There have been countless people already stating such strong arguments that basically yes, its fine to use sand. Mix around a bit and all will be good. Adjust your filter intake and it won't affect the filter...
At the end of the day if people want to use sand go ahead and use it, if you don't thats fine then don't. Any substrate that you choose in the end will come with its own set of pro's and con's. So its just deciding what you want for your tank.
There have been countless people already stating such strong arguments that basically yes, its fine to use sand. Mix around a bit and all will be good. Adjust your filter intake and it won't affect the filter...
At the end of the day if people want to use sand go ahead and use it, if you don't thats fine then don't. Any substrate that you choose in the end will come with its own set of pro's and con's. So its just deciding what you want for your tank.
I Think people dont bother to read previous posts... There are also other topics on sand which make similar points... Just search The forum for what you want to know... then if u still have a question post it...!! The amount of threads and questions that are repeated is just annoying.... and alot of answers are found in the sticky's and articles!! If you want peoples personal opinions on keeping a certain fish ect.. or want info that cant be found post away!! The Forum im usually on deletes and moves topics that are repeated... maybe the same should be done here! 
As already mentioned previously, when the sand becomes compact due to the fine grain size, oxygen is blocked thus the anaerobic bacteria start to develop and produce hydrogen sulfide, which when the dead pockets are disturbed, the hydrogen sulfide, being a powerful acid, will be released thus harming and killing the living things and even aerobic bacteria in the process. Even owners are at risk of being intoxicated by the smell as it damages your respiratory system. Along the way, pH will take a steep dive by several levels which can cause acidosis to the fish due to the extreme/adverse change in the environment.Ali1;3203899; said:
No. You should be stirring it from time to time or at least every other day lest you really want the idea of anaerobic bacteria threatening your fish as they begin to establish in dead areas.
In cases where substrate already has dead pockets, please be sure to remove your fish as a precaution out of the tank. Instead of swishing the sand/gravel around, try to stir gently with the gravel vacuum to make sure when the area is disturbed, the hydrogen sulfide will be vacuumed quickly thus preventing the acid from remaining circulated around the tank.
Any more questions, ask away!
I've had sand in my 55g African cichlid tank for a while now, and I don't think I'll ever go back to gravel. Crap stays on the surface, makes it extremely easy to clean by just skimming over the surface during my WC. I give it a quick brush with my little rake after every WC, then about once every month and a half or so, I churn all of the sand, takes a minute to do so. Simply turn off my filters so they don't pick up any sand. The sand takes literally 15 seconds to settle back on the surface again, then turn the filters back on. I've never had any sand clog my impellers or filters. Also, it looks much more natural than gravel IMO.
borderraider;3203862; said:
I came into this thread late, but I believe part of the problem here, is that what is being said about sand specifically is applicable to ANY substrate, not just sand.
ie any substrate can trap detritis if not cleaned properly, which is then broken down by bacteria as part of the nitrogen cycle.
like gravel, if detritius if left undisturbed, there is the potential for anaeroblic conditions to exist which facilitates a great envionrment for anaerobic bacteria to thrive.
these anarerobic bacteria reduce nitrates back to nitrites, releasing nitrogen gas in the process, which can be seen as bubbles in the substrate when disturbered..
but this phenomenon is NOT unique to sand or gravel.
it can happen in any substrate if conditions are allowed to exist..
the part about sand 'trapping' nitrates/nitrites is not correct, but its more of a wording problem.
sand or gravel both can accumulate detritus which as I mentioned, is 'food' for oxidizing bacteria (the good kind for us).
but they don't accumulate the byproducts of bacterial metabolism directly.
the bacteria do their thing, and the byproduct of which is nitrates in the aquarium water..
sand or gravel both can accumulate detritus which as I mentioned, is 'food' for oxidizing bacteria (the good kind for us).
but they don't accumulate the byproducts of bacterial metabolism directly.
the bacteria do their thing, and the byproduct of which is nitrates in the aquarium water..