Do I need sand in a tank?

W

wea747

New member
I know some people go bare bottom.

What are the pros and cons?

Am I better to have sand? Why or why not?
 
It is your choice.
I used to have sand and now I am barebottom and happier than ever.

The pro's of barebottom are that you have more control over your tanks water parameters and know what is there.

The con's are that to some it is not as pleasing to the eye.

There are a few more on both side of the fence.
If you have any questions about barebottom I would be happy to answer them for you.

hth,
Sean
 
Bare bottom offers you a better success rate at removal of detritus. It also prevents sand from getting on corals. Basically better nutrient export and a environment that is accommodating to extremely high flow.

Sandy bottoms ... no wait let me rephrase that ... sand in the tank is a more natural look as well as opening the door for your tank to keep some extremely interesting fish and animals, as well as a bed of live animals that are good for the tank.

Bottom line pick a look you like that works for the plans of the tank for now as well as in the future.
 
i have sand...i only have a display tank...i makes the tank look more natural and you can have cool fish like stated above and acts a buffer for things such as PH...as you can get a sand sifting start fish and some reef safe wrasses that love to play in the sand. I like it...nothing wrong with bare bottom though. Just be sure you have some sand bed cleaners...a goby works wondering and it is cool to see it get mouthfuls of sand and filter it.

-matt
 
beside the pleasure of having specific inverts that require sand, what is the REAL benefit/purpose of having sand?

what does sand do to help the aquarium's environment?

:D
 
You would need a different, smaller, clean up crew.
Pretty much just Astrea and Cerith snails.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12542095#post12542095 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by filippo
what does sand do to help the aquarium's environment?

:D
Click to expand...
There used to be discussions about it buffering the water, keeping a more stable pH.
It may held do that, my pH is pretty stable as is though.
 
it buffers things such as PH and keeps in a bit more stable also in a sump a sand bad can filter nitrate and nitrites. I would say the purpose is to make the tank look natural and also help keep it a tad more stable...also i doubt it would happen but acts as a barrier in case a rock slide happens...a 9 lb rock falling from 20 inches or so might cause a problem hit the bare glass.

as far as the clean up crew you would need more snails to clean the bottom glass and make sure there is flow around the rocks to keep it clean. Keep in mind that if you want a goby or something of that nature it almost needs the sand bed to stay alive or it might starve.

Question for you...what are looking to do and what size tank do you plan on running? fish only...corals?
 
Bare bottom offers you a better success rate at removal of detritus.

??? :)

what makes it more successful?

I can see that it can be a pain to clean sand sometimes, but the amount of detritus on sand is essentially the same in a bare bottom, isn't it? if you don't clean your bare bottom regularly, then not having sand doesn't make a difference. It's up to us to control detritus in our aquariums.
 
true i do not have bare bottom tanks so i can not speak to that...but i am guessing detritus can not settle becuase we can aim strong currents to the bottom and in sand we can but not as strong as in a bare bottom .
if it does settle because there may be a few dead spots then that will have to be hand cleaned unless or wait for some snails to make it over to it. because the stars and or bed cleaners will not live in a bare bottom very well.
 
After the rocks stop sluffing the only detritus is from fish poo.
It doesn't just sink down into 'somewhere'...we take it out. ;)
 
So hermits with bare bottom ok? SHould be they'll just eat on the rocks?
Goby would likely die?
I'd assume regular star fish would be ok as they are on the glass most of the time.
Emerald crab?
Conch?
What exactly would I be sacrificing to go with bare bottom?

I was thinking of making a 2 foot x12in x12in all in one acrylic tank. The sand is nice at first but it always seems to be a bit nasty after a while. Anyone know how bare bottoms look after awhile? Do they just get covered in green algea like the back wall? Will snails keep it under control or would I need to clean the floor also with out sand?
 
Here is a question that may help both of use...what is the best way to keep it from ending up on the sand or in dead spots where we cans blast water at...i myself am redoing a 75 and adding a closed loop and looking a where the best placement is for flow and keep rocks clean and also keeping detritus suspended so it can go in the overflow...would water flow from the bottom of the tank pushing up help keep it off the sand and into the sump/filter. did not mean to steal the thread but think it is related in choosing which set up to do sand or no sand.
 
the floors would be covered in color line after i while...hermits would be ok because they eat stuff of the rocks also but i bet they would be happier in the sand...my goby eat food that the fish eat..but some are picky and sand sift for most food. a chocolate star would be fine..just do not get a urchin they are enemies. in a tank that size you can not over do the cleaners or they will starve and a conch likes sand i do believe. the crab might be ok...eat algae...did wonders for my hair on the rocks.
 
oh i keep forgetting things...you can not get a mag float on the bottom to clean it...and also in a tank that size you can siphon the sand like every 3 or 4 months and put new sand it to keep it a BRIGHT white if you like...i also think it high lights coral...a nice white base makes the take look brighter and alive in my opinion also my 75 has been up for 5 years...and the sand still looks great. i guess you can see which i like.
 
why not do a faux sand bed? you could get the look of a sand bed but be able to utilize mass water movement at the same time.
 
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