# sand only



## ony

You can stick to sand or gravel but it limits your planting choices unless you use root tabs. Easy plants to grow would be java fern, moss and anubias. These should be tied to wood or rocks and not planted into the sand.

Amazon swords would be ok with root tabs but are much easier to grow in dirt.


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## chomper149

Its not impossible but you def need to add fertilizers or root tabs to feed the plants. I was running a planted tank with just sand no ferts and the plants did okay i suppose. they stayed a live but didnt really grow. Added florapride as a supplemental fert and my plants did excellent, like ludwigia and amazon swords and others. They grew nice and thick and fast. But up until a point. Right now they are barely growing and are just staying alive, beautiful in color and all just not growing. I think it was because my tank was already established/ there were natural decaying matter and other goods within the sand that supported my plants until now.
Now only my floaters/ stem plants still grow. All my root feeders are just dormant. So technically yes you can, but you wont get great results.
I plan on moving to dirt once i can get a holding tank for my fish. Otherwise use some sort of fert+ root tabs if you really want to go only sand.
also consider a new light. a single 48in t8? isnt going to provide much light for many plants


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## Diana

I use 4 x T8 over a 4' long, 2' deep tank, and it has some direct light. It grows plants pretty well. I use 2 x T8 over shallower tanks, still 4' long, but 15" or so deep. These are low light tanks, even though they do get some sun. 

Sand has no fertilizer, and does not hold fertilizer in a way that plant roots can get it. By adding fertilizer to the water some plants will grow, but many plants depend on the substrate for some of the minerals they need. If the substrate is poor in nutrients these plants will not grow well. Root tabs can help, as long as you are quick to replace them when they are used up. Use pool filter sand or other material that has been sifted so all the particles are the same size. If there is a mix of sand sizes the sand tends to pack down, leading to anaerobic areas in the substrate. 

I would try to double the light, then go for only the low light plants. 

The filter you suggest is the very smallest that might work, so yes, I would add a power head. Set up the filter and watch it run. See where the dead spots are and add the power head to improve water movement in those areas. 

7 Angels will highly likely pair up, and will not tolerate each other when they mature. With a really dense growth of plants you might manage to keep 2 pair, but I can see problems.


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## lilmama

thanks for the suggestion i add a eheim professional 2 canister filter with the eheim 2217 canister for the 55 gallon tank. should i buy double t5 28' light fixture for this tank to help the plants and the anglefish. also what temperature should i set for my anglefish tank.


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## Zefrik

I have a tank with just sand in it. I don't add ferts or root tabs and my plants grow. They grow slowly and not to there full potential but they grow. Must likely just from the fish food I add to the tank.


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## BBradbury

*Sand as a Substrate*



lilmama said:


> hi family need some advise i have a 55 gallon tank i want to put some plant in the tank, i want to use only sand. can i use sand only for my tank. i'm going put 7 angle fish and drift wood. i have 48 single light fixture. ehemi 2217 filter. should i used powerhead for water movement? what kind of plant should i used?


Hello lil...

Unless you plan to keep and breed Corydoras, then sand is a poor choice of substrates. There are a number of reasons: It weighs heavily on plant roots, it becomes compacted and that doesn't allow any water circulation around plant roots. It's really difficult to keep clean and makes vacuuming a real challenge. It would be best to research the natural habitat of the fish you want to keep and dupicate that substrate.

No question, sand looks good in the tank, but there are other substrates that are better for you, your plants and fish.

Just a couple of thoughts to consider or not.

B


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## somewhatshocked

Sorry, this is just less than accurate information.

Sands like those quartz-based products used for pool filtration don't really compact. Play sand tends to do that. Sand won't weigh any more heavily on plant roots than any other substrate.

Sand allows for water circulation and it can be easily stirred or aerated if there are concerns. Malaysian Trumpet Snails also provide a great service of aeration and cleaning through sand.

Vacuuming isn't necessary in a planted tank.



BBradbury said:


> Hello lil...
> 
> Unless you plan to keep and breed Corydoras, then sand is a poor choice of substrates. There are a number of reasons: It weighs heavily on plant roots, it becomes compacted and that doesn't allow any water circulation around plant roots. It's really difficult to keep clean and makes vacuuming a real challenge. It would be best to research the natural habitat of the fish you want to keep and dupicate that substrate.
> 
> No question, sand looks good in the tank, but there are other substrates that are better for you, your plants and fish.
> 
> Just a couple of thoughts to consider or not.
> 
> B


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## AirstoND

*Malaysian Trumpet snails*

Get plenty of these for a sand substrate,

http://badmanstropicalfish.com/articles/article76.html


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## Michiba54

The only down side to sand is it _might_ ruin your filter if your not careful.

- its very easy to clean, the poop stays on top.

- its not in the least bit heavy, if anything it will be too light for things like HC to take root in. 

- MTS? gas pockets? Don't get me started, that stuff is completely bologna.


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## devilduck

Who has a sand only low tech planted tank to show off?


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## Hoppy

One problem is that "sand" can mean many things, from limestone based play sand, which would be a disaster, to pool filter sand, which works very well, to Black Diamond blasting grit, which also works well. Then, there is sand made for mixing with cement, sand made for mortar mixing, sand made for setting paving stones, etc. And, there is Flourite black sand, made just for aquarium substrate.

People used to use only sand (fine gravel) for a substrate, and plants grew for them, not as well as they do today, but they did grow. Maybe the best question would be, what sand to use, and how to use it well.


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## Itwasntme

Who has "sand only tank to show"? Well, I have, five, this is one of them. This topic makes me smile a bit, in my homecountry we have thousands of only sand-tanks (substrates are not sale!) without problems. We use trumpet snails but also cories and other bottom dwellers help to keep the sand unstuccked. I siphoon bottoms once a month, some do it weekly depending on fishes etc. Im not sure what is this sand called, pool or playground, we call it just "plain" sand. Crypts and swords has root tabs.


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## demonr6

I have been using Zeobrite as my sand cap in my 20L now for months with no issues at all. I am thinking about trying a tank with it only and keeping the plants down to the ones that would do well in that environment using root tabs as fertilizer. My water is sparkling with the exception of the tannins from the wood and the @(*#& pleco that dug everything up and made a hot mess.



Michiba54 said:


> The only down side to sand is it _might_ ruin your filter if your not careful.


Using a Marineland 400 power head with a sponge from a Zoo Med 501 canister in the intake and problem solved. I do have to clean out the filter weekly but I have a spare I swap out. It's not the sand that clogs it, it is the dirt kicked up when mr. pleco decided to go mining in the sub.


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## tank0211

Nice thread so far. I'm considering a sand or gravel only bottom & this has proven helpful. ATM I'm thinking of using one of the ADA forest sands, but could anyone suggest a good gravel as well?


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## halffrozen

If I could have afforded it before I set my current tank up.. I would have chosen the Aquasoil "Amazonia".

But I DO love my PFS.


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## Jaguar

I used what was presumably sand from the pacific ocean in my tank, more or less silica (quartz) sand. It looked very nice, was very nice to work with, didn't make the tank cloudy, was easy to plant stuff in... but its downsides were greater. Plants did awful without heavy root tabs and EI dosing even in low tech, I got cyanobacteria out the wazoo from it, it got very dirty with mulm very quick which made it look like someone dumped a bag of trash in my tank, and it dusted the plants with sand grains every time I stirred it or did a water change.

Just my 0.02. I would not use it in an entire tank, especially not a light colored sand. As a foreground feature or small section, sure, but never again in the whole tank. Black sand like Fluorite might be a better option. After having AquaSoil I don't think I could go back to an inert substrate period, unless it was a cap over dirt or something.

It also made tank photography VERY difficult as I always got a bright white glare off the sand. I could only imagine what it looks like to the fish!


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## tank0211

Hmmm, it seems ADA Forest Sand Xingu is what I'm looking for, does anyone have any opinions on this & a sparsely planted/ hardscape dominated tank?


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## s thomas

Zefrik said:


> I have a tank with just sand in it. I don't add ferts or root tabs and my plants grow. They grow slowly and not to there full potential but they grow. Must likely just from the fish food I add to the tank.


The breakdown wouldn't come just from the fish food would it? I don't understand the process very well...

Do you have shrimp or snails?


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## s thomas

halffrozen said:


> If I could have afforded it before I set my current tank up.. I would have chosen the Aquasoil "Amazonia".
> 
> But I DO love my PFS.


Woah. Looks awesome!


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## AlecFish

What color do you all prefer? 

black, white, tan ect.


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## s thomas

tank0211 said:


> Hmmm, it seems ADA Forest Sand Xingu is what I'm looking for, does anyone have any opinions on this & a sparsely planted/ hardscape dominated tank?


I love the look of that sand, but I have to say that I saved a bunch of cash and used the generic black PetCo brand sand for mine, and it worked great and looks fantastic



somewhatshocked said:


> Sorry, this is just less than accurate information.
> 
> Sands like those quartz-based products used for pool filtration don't really compact. Play sand tends to do that. Sand won't weigh any more heavily on plant roots than any other substrate.
> 
> Sand allows for water circulation and it can be easily stirred or aerated if there are concerns. Malaysian Trumpet Snails also provide a great service of aeration and cleaning through sand.
> 
> Vacuuming isn't necessary in a planted tank.


Thanks somewhatshocked, this was helpful info. Is this also because shrimp and snails further break detritus and uneaten food down further into their essential nutrients for the plants to use more readily? Or does that happen without the help of the inverts?



Hoppy said:


> One problem is that "sand" can mean many things, from limestone based play sand, which would be a disaster, to pool filter sand, which works very well, to Black Diamond blasting grit, which also works well. Then, there is sand made for mixing with cement, sand made for mortar mixing, sand made for setting paving stones, etc. And, there is Flourite black sand, made just for aquarium substrate.
> 
> People used to use only sand (fine gravel) for a substrate, and plants grew for them, not as well as they do today, but they did grow. Maybe the best question would be, what sand to use, and how to use it well.


Great info, this mentality has kept me coming back to this forum (admittedly lurking) time after time. Thanks, Hoppy.

And as for Lilmama, the OP, I'm interested to see what you decided.


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## discuspaul

somewhatshocked said:


> Sorry, this is just less than accurate information.
> 
> Sands like those quartz-based products used for pool filtration don't really compact. Play sand tends to do that. Sand won't weigh any more heavily on plant roots than any other substrate.
> 
> Sand allows for water circulation and it can be easily stirred or aerated if there are concerns. Malaysian Trumpet Snails also provide a great service of aeration and cleaning through sand.
> 
> Vacuuming isn't necessary in a planted tank.


 
Agree with all the above, except perhaps the last sentence.





devilduck said:


> Who has a sand only low tech planted tank to show off?


Here's one for you to have a gander at. It's quartz-based white silica PFS that's been in the tank for about 2 years:

http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/Sept2011

And, as you can see, many plants grow well in it, using root tab ferts - and it's low-tech, no CO2.


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## tank0211

discuspaul said:


> Here's one for you to have a gander at. It's quartz-based white silica PFS that's been in the tank for about 2 years:
> 
> http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/Sept2011
> 
> And, as you can see, many plants grow well in it, using root tab ferts - and it's low-tech, no CO2.


Very nice tank discuspual. I love how clean it is. :thumbsup:

I'm looking to start up a low tech tank. 
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals/178746-tanks-ada-60-f-journal.html#post1890768
What's your secret to this very clean/ low tech approach:icon_ques


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## discuspaul

tank0211 said:


> Very nice tank discuspual. I love how clean it is. :thumbsup:
> 
> I'm looking to start up a low tech tank.
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/tank-journals/178746-tanks-ada-60-f-journal.html#post1890768
> What's your secret to this very clean/ low tech approach:icon_ques


No heavy-duty secrets - Just plain old care and attention, with the help of some equipment.
It's a discus tank as you know, so 50% to 60% water changes 3 X a week, with substrate vacs done with each wc, accounts for a large part of keeping the tank squeaky clean & crystal clear. Also, I regularly use Seachem Purigen in the filters, along with double-layered filter floss, replaced every second week, and fine mesh pre-filters on the filter intake tubes, rinsed twice a week.
Of additional assistance, in my view, is a well-positioned small water pump (I use a Hydor Koralia) to keep the glass free of algae, moving it into the water column, so that my UV sterilizer can pick it up and nuke it. The Pump also moves fish waste, plant matter, etc. to one side of the tank for easier clean-up when vacuuming.
As for the plants, I use root tab ferts in the PFS substrate, replaced every 6 months, and moderate dosing of liquid ferts every second week or so.
That's it - simple and it works.


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## demonr6

discuspaul said:


> Here's one for you to have a gander at. It's quartz-based white silica PFS that's been in the tank for about 2 years:
> 
> http://s1105.photobucket.com/albums/h357/discuspaul/Sept2011
> 
> And, as you can see, many plants grow well in it, using root tab ferts - and it's low-tech, no CO2.


Oh sure but you have a small army of indentured servants from some third world country you had brought over that tend to your tank daily making sure it is squeaky clean at all times for your enjoyment!


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## discuspaul

demonr6 said:


> Oh sure but you have a small army of indentured servants from some third world country you had brought over that tend to your tank daily making sure it is squeaky clean at all times for your enjoyment!


I wish !!
But I love your comments ! We all need a little levity at one time or another !
Thanks for making my day.


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