maddog10
Members
I am thinking of trying sand for a substrate, for the first time. How thick should I have the bed and how do you clean it?
phishphorphun
Members
I made the conversion on all but one tank. It's easier from scratch (on an initial setup), but, you can do the conversion as long as you have the patience to wait for the water to clear.
I like about an inch on the smaller tanks. About three inches in the back, tapered to about an inch and a half in the front on the 40g and above. The 5' 120g has about four inches in the back and tapers down to about 1 1/2" in the front.
You will be surprised how much more poop you will see with the sand. It's a little trickier to clean it up, but after a few water changes, you will get the hang of it with your python.
Bottom line...sand is better for the fish than gravel. Gravel is better than sand for the fishkeeper. :lol:
I like about an inch on the smaller tanks. About three inches in the back, tapered to about an inch and a half in the front on the 40g and above. The 5' 120g has about four inches in the back and tapers down to about 1 1/2" in the front.
You will be surprised how much more poop you will see with the sand. It's a little trickier to clean it up, but after a few water changes, you will get the hang of it with your python.
Bottom line...sand is better for the fish than gravel. Gravel is better than sand for the fishkeeper. :lol:
maddog10
Members
Thanks Bobby. I am actually doing it for the fish. Going to set up my 150 for some furcifers. I bought some pool filter sand today (300 pounds), it is pretty coarse. I thought the coarser the better. I'll do like you said and put a strong slope in the sand. If I like how it turns out I may just switch most of the tanks over.
longstocking
Members
All my tanks are sand... as you know.
I HATE gravel.
Keep the amount you use on the low side... as you don't want gas pockets to build up too much. I'd say 1.5 inches is plenty.
Make sure you clean the sand really well.... just put it in a bucket and stick a hose in it untill the water runs clear.
You'll love it !!! You get to see so much more behavior. Yes, you see the poop... but this way you actually know when your tanks are clean and when they aren't. But, people that come over can tell when my fish tanks aren't clean :lol:
Feather fins like really fine sand.... the finner the better... play sand would be best but you'll be washing sand for half a day. I'd offer you some sand you don't have to clean... but the stuff Bill has right now is too course for them. Black Beauty .. link below about it.
I HATE gravel.
Keep the amount you use on the low side... as you don't want gas pockets to build up too much. I'd say 1.5 inches is plenty.
Make sure you clean the sand really well.... just put it in a bucket and stick a hose in it untill the water runs clear.
You'll love it !!! You get to see so much more behavior. Yes, you see the poop... but this way you actually know when your tanks are clean and when they aren't. But, people that come over can tell when my fish tanks aren't clean :lol:
Feather fins like really fine sand.... the finner the better... play sand would be best but you'll be washing sand for half a day. I'd offer you some sand you don't have to clean... but the stuff Bill has right now is too course for them. Black Beauty .. link below about it.
longstocking
Members
Charlutz
Members
I am also a big fan of sand and keeping featherfins -- foai Moliro green bought from club member Robert or "Artee." Males are starting to color but not digging yet. The waiting is excruciating!
To add to what Sarah said, there is a good calculator on the cichlid forum for figuring out how much sand you need.
Cichlid forum calculators
A pic of one of my males.
To add to what Sarah said, there is a good calculator on the cichlid forum for figuring out how much sand you need.
Cichlid forum calculators
A pic of one of my males.
longstocking
Members
So Mike...
How did the "washing sand" turn out? For a 6 foot tank ... you must be hating sand at the moment :lol:
How did the "washing sand" turn out? For a 6 foot tank ... you must be hating sand at the moment :lol:
maddog10
Members
Have not started yet. Still have to find time to buy the wood and build a rack to put it on. I already know that by the second bag I'll be asking myself "why am I doing this" :smashfreakB:
Tim
Members
Keep in mind Mike, once the furcifers start breeding, the male is going to collect the sand from all corners of the tank. You may find you need to add sand later. For non-sand sifting species, and species that don't dig and build bowers, limit the amount of sand to a couple of inches like Sarah said. You don't want any nasty bacteria building up forming those poisonous gas pockets. Usually in featherfin tanks, it's not much of a problem. 
Tim
Tim
