Can we talk sand again?

[zcat]

Okay guys for whatever reason the whole sand thing is making me nervous, don't know why, I guess it's just because all my aquariums use the LFS store gravel and seem to be doing okay. But with the investment I'm making in the Zebs I do want to do the right thing. Help me not be afraid of the sand!

I can't go bare surface. Although it makes a ton of sense, it would just be a bit odd for me.

So back to sand. If I understand correctly it is preferrable because the food is less likely to fall through the crevices. Does one still use a gravel vac with water changes to throughly turn the sand?

How many inches do I need?

Do I get this sand at a LFS or like a Home Depot type place. What granular size am I looking for? (I'm sorry if this topic has been throughly talked about but I only get so much time to read the posts before my little one demands attention)

Am I going to set my self back as far as tank cycling if I remove the gravel and replace with sand? Will cycling start all over again? I will still have the bio-wheels in place and the decor will go back in, but I know a lot of that good bacteria resides on the gravel.

Is there anything I need to know about dealing with sand that is different from gravel? Will hardy live plants still grow?

I also read on one of the posts about snails turning sand? What is this all about?

Thanks soooo much o'wise Zebra keepers!!!!

[Adam]

Personally I would stay clear of gravel because of uneaten food getting trapped in it. Like you say zebras are quite an investment and you want to do the right thing so why take unnecessary risks?

Looks like you are pretty much set on having sand as a substrate but just need some reassurance. Food is less likely to become trapped in sand, that's if you don't feed the finer granulated food types, if you do even sand could pose a problem. However with regular maintenance and the use of a gravel vac you should be able to keep it clean.

I would go for a layer of no more than 2cm, any deeper and you run the risk of anaerobic dead spots forming which in turn will allow for the build up of sulphurus gasses.

You should be able to get the sand from your LFS, it may be sold as river sand. I have heard of people using other coarser types of sand. It's probably best to stick with the stuff from the LFS, that way you'll know it's fish safe. Before you add the sand to the tank give it a thorough wash. I've found that the best way to do this is to place it in a bucket with a running hose pipe burried in the sand. This will wash away the finer particles that can end up blocking your filters, as I found out.

Removing the existing gravel will remove a lot of the bacteria population in the tank. You may well notice increased ammonia/nitrite readings but this will only be temporary. The bacteria population in your filters will multiply to compensate and eventually things will settle again.

Plants will be just fine in sand but the 2 cm layer will severely limit what you can have.

Malasian sand snails can be used to turn sand over and prevent anaerobic spots from forming, only applicable if you have a deep layer of sand.

Regards.

Adam

[zcat]

Hmmm.....okay, having a bit of trouble finding good sand.
I've found quartz marine sand which is bright white and probably wouldn't work to well.

I can get pool filter sand but the LFS store guy told me to watch out for diatoms. ?????

And another store said they have blast sand. Not sure about what blast sand is so I will go take a look.

Somebody else told me to stay away from play sand.

[valhallan]

Hi zcat,

I have kept play sand in many of my tanks with bunches of different fish and never had a problem. I haven't (as yet) kept zebras like this but I wouldn't think it would be any different. I have kept discus, angels, rams, loaches, common plecos, L114 and L066 all with a play sand substrate and none have ever shown any ill effects.

I understand it may be difficult to equate discus and angels etc. with zebs, as zebs actually live on the substrate, but my other plecos have been fine with it.

I use the Quikrete brand from Lowes. In the end I guess it is just a matter of personal preference. For me, I'd rather spend $2 for 50lbs, than go to my lfs and pay $2 per pound. Just make sure you give it a good rinse to get any loose dirt particles out and you're good to go. I like the Quikrete brand because it has already been rinsed and dried, and tends to be a lot cleaner than other brands. But again, it just depends on what you want to do

Val

[Mindy]

I bought aquarium sand at my LFS. Be careful with marine sand as it may have calciferous properties which will cause your pH to rise. Make sure the sand you get is inert.

Also, I don't know how sensitve the Zebras mouths are, but in the case of Corys, sharper, coarser sand can wear their barbels off as they forage through it. So I stick with fine, inert sand. The maintenance is similar to that of gravel, but you get used to holding the vacuum a little different so you don't get too much sand coming up. It's only a small amount that comes out anyway. The weight of the sand, though it does stir up, doesn't always make it right the way up the vacuum tube.

And as said above, just give it a little stir now and again to make sure it's all fresh and aerated. And as also said above, Malaysian Trumpet Snails live in the sand, tunneling through, keeping it stirred.

[McEve]

I use blast sand in all but one tank. It's very fine, so it's very important to either not have more than 2cm thick layer, or keep sand snails and plants. The roots of the plants also helps in preventing the sand from becoming compacted.

[Des]

Zcat,

I like Valhallan, used play pit sand, well washed, for the few weeks that I trialled using sand.
Play pit sand is graded so there are no sharp bits of sand.
Make sure you do not use marine sand.

Regards,
Des.

[Dr. P]

I also use playpit sand in a couple of my tank, including the zebra tank. I keep it less than 2cm and also use the sand snails just to be sure.

[zcat]

Found a cool kind of gravel at LFS. It's from Dekoline and it does not alter any PH. It comes in lots of different colors and particle sizes. I think it probably falls right between sand and blast gravel.

http://www.floridadriftwood.com/product ... =280&3=771

I wasn't able to find much about it on the web the link above was the best I could do, but my LFS carried many, many color varieties. I'm mixing 2 colors to come up with a darker river bed sand look.

[jerms55555]

Thats good if you want a full planted tank, but its pretty pricey!! There is also Eco Complete (http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/p ... 2146960678) which is black and they sell it pretty much everywhere and I use it in all my well planted tanks with CO2 and 4WPG........But thats an over kill for zebras.....I am having the same problem as you are right now and this is my conclusion/solution:

Add sand from Lowes ( like Valhallan,Dr.P & Des) but just enough to hide the glass bottom.....but i will rinse it out pretty much all day.. I have been looking around and noticed LFS don't carrying sand based gravels and if they do its usually marine and thats no good....
Now if you want to add plants add some Hornwort in the back, All the Anubias family and tie them to drift wood, later their Rhizome will grow around the wood giving that nice nature look...Add any low light plants you can find. Java moss is good too.....I think Zebras live 8ft down so light is pretty much dim..
You can ask McEve her tank looks very cool and with all the right plants and sand..

http://www.zebrapleco.com/forum/viewtop ... 1&start=15

TAKE CARE OF YOUR PLANTS AND YOUR PLANTS WILL TAKE CARE OF YOUR FISH