Here's an interesting conundrum

[darkwolf29a]

Ok, I hate sand. The only sand I have experience with, however, is sandblasting sand. Which, ultimately, ends up as black gooey mess in your tank. So, after that experience, I vowed never again. I shouldn't use that never word...I always end up chomping down that word in the end.

So...here's my problem:

I have two types of catfish: banjos, and chacas. Well, ok...I have more than that, but I want to try and those two, in particular. And according to what I'm reading, I need the dreaded sand.

So...I post here, since one is South American, the other Asian.

But...what type of sand does everyone recommend? I didn't enjoy the last stuff because of the bacteria buildup...I'm assuming that's what the black was. It started out tan colored.


Thanks for the continued support.

[apistomaster]

Grossly overpriced but eminently suitable for aquariums is the coarse silica sand sold under the brand name, Torpedo Beach Sand.
It is completely inert, will not alter water chemistry, and is "gap graded" so water will circulate through it enough to prevent anoxic zones.

The fine sands used in blasting or the play sands are too fine. Unless you use them in thin layers or are diligent about "hydrovacuuming" these fine sands they are prone to forming anoxic zones.

Another expensive substrate that is soft enough for burrowing fish and promotes good circulation good water circulation is Red Sea FloraBase.

Either of these may be blended with 25% material that is larger or coarser and yet will still retain it's desirable properties.

[Suckermouth]

Wouldn't burrowing fish prevent the formation of anoxic patches in the sand?

Anyway, I'm pretty sure that a more accurate representation of the habitats of banjos and chacas is a leaf litter habitat, rather than sand.

[darkwolf29a]

I would hope so. And, honestly, at the time I did sand the first time, I didn't have burrowing fish.

[apistomaster]

Wouldn't burrowing fish prevent the formation of anoxic patches in the sand?

Anyway, I'm pretty sure that a more accurate representation of the habitats of banjos and chacas is a leaf litter habitat, rather than sand.

They might if they disturbed every bit of the bottom regularly enough. Most fish wouldn't disturb sand under rocks or wood; areas always prone to anoxia.
I agree that these fish live in leaf litter but the use of leaf litter has yet to over take the substrates in common use in aquaria.

[Bas Pels]

my sand came from a construction (road building) xompany. I use it for 4 years now, without any problem (apart from it sticking to everything it makes contact with)

As I use 1000 liters of it, I did not even rinse it

[racoll]

As Larry said, get it from your LFS. It'll be more expensive, but the right stuff. Silver sand, river sand or quartz sand are the names you want.

Avoid coral sand and aragonite sand, and anything else for marines.

You only need about 1.5cm at the most. Any more and you risk stagnation. The fish will turn it over to a certain extent, but i usually rake it with my fingers every so often.

I would always make sure your filter inlet is at least 3" off the bottom too.

[Richard B]

Some of the finest grades of sand compact so burrowing fish can't get into it - fine sand should be avoided - a coarser grade is required. You can also add some leaf litter over the top of the sand if you wanted too.

[grokefish]

I have found a play sand in my local garden center that is really cheap. It is also a bit coarser than normal play sand and non toxic.
I have been using it for a long time now and have had no problems with it.
I totally agree with the leaf litter idea, I have been toying with the idea of having a leaf litter tank where I let the leaf litter completely decompose thus building up a more natural substrate over the years.
Matt

[Birger]

Play sand from building centers works for me as well...I think a lot of people use too deep a layer of sand in their tanks

Birger

[andywoolloo]

how much is 1.5 cm?

why didn't they teach us yanks the metric system!

[Dave Rinaldo]

how much is 1.5 cm?

why didn't they teach us yanks the metric system!

0.6 inches

http://www.manuelsweb.com/in_cm.htm

[andywoolloo]

thank you

I think my sand is from 1 to 1.5 "'s...but they dig it around and it moves. I have MTS's in there to stir it up and also I manuelly stir it oncea month in all sand tanks.

[racoll]

You need just enough so that the banjos can bury themselves. MTS (Malaysian trumpet snails) are reported to aerate the substrate well, but with nocturnal shy catfish they may be a problem, as they may get to the food before the catfish.

Have you found this a problem andywoolloo?

[andywoolloo]

yes I have. in a way. I've noticed it's usually the least favourite pellets they let the MTS's have. Never a canivore or a shrimp pellet, always a NLS H20 wafer or a Hikari tropical wafer. My cats aren't too keen on the wafers.

[Martin S]

Not sure if you can get it in the US (don't see why not) but I always used swimming pool fliter sand which is available from your local swimming pool supplier.
Here in the UK it's about £15-20 a large bag and they often have split bags they are willing to sell off cheaper if you only want enough for a 2-3' tank with some to spare. Works out a darn site cheaper than the aquarium sands sold at the LFS and is coarser than the play sand.
It's golden in colour and I always thought it made a very attarctive base. It does need lots of rinsing before adding to the tank and, as with all sands, regular raking is vital to stop air pockets forming and causing stagnation.
HTH
Martin

[apistomaster]

Since the sources of sand sold for construction or play sand comes from a variety of sources, it is a good idea to soak a sample in pure RO water for a week and test the water for any signs of increase in pH and hardness.

I sieved some great looking sand from a stream bed that increased my TDS 100 ppm. I used it in my Heckel Discus display tank and even with large water changes of tapwater with 340 ppm TDS it rose to 450 ppm TDSand a pH of 7.8. The Heckels did not seem affected although ideally they should be kept in water with less than 20 ppm TDS and a pH of 5.0.
Not necessarily a problem unless your goal is for a soft water environment.

[darkwolf29a]

I sieved some great looking sand from a stream bed that increased my TDS 100 ppm. I used it in my Heckel Discus display tank and even with large water changes of tapwater with 340 ppm TDS it rose to 450 ppm TDSand a pH of 7.8. The Heckels did not seem affected although ideally they should be kept in water with less than 20 ppm TDS and a pH of 5.0.
Not necessarily a problem unless your goal is for a soft water environment.

I'll have to keep that in mind, because....we have some very hard water already in Wisconsin. ;)

I do like the idea of a leaf litter substrate. I may have to see if I can find some oak leaves some place. There aren't a whole lot of leaves left on the trees around here, since it's winter. LOL And I do have a call into the local pool supply place to find out about the sand. Maybe I can use a bit of sand until I can collect enough leaves.

Thanks for the ideas peeps. Keep them coming to... I appreciate them all.

[Barbie]

IME, pool filter sand is too fine. It can vary in color by the location it's being collected to anything from white, to gray, to reddish. I prefer sand blasting media that has a larger grain size. You definitely need to test it for buffering your water, prior to using it. I've had good luck with putting a few tablespoons in a clear plastic cup and adding vinegar. If it fizzes, it won't work ;). I currently prefer garnet sand, or monterey beach sand. Both are available in a size that resembles very small gravel. You can vacuum it without pulling out the substrate and the fish do great with it. Different sands are available in different areas so you'll need to shop around a bit. Flourish does also have a new line of black sand that's suitable for growing plants, but I have no idea how badly it would cloud or make a mess with a banjo stirring it up regularly.

Here's a few pictures of the two sands I prefer.

Garnet Sand:



Monterey Beach Sand:



(Oops, the images are broken until Jools can apply a fix for the * in plecos. It makes your links invalid if you have pleco in the url)

If you happen to live in Anchorage, you can buy a sand that's shades of gray called "Airport sand" from the local Sand and Gravel yard. It was more coarse like this, but graded to not be blowing around so badly. I'm still kicking myself for not hauling that bucket of it down the AlCan!

Barbie