Changing from gravel to sand

[Joker]

hi guys im thinking about changing my tank set up from graval to sand but at the pet store the guy told me its actually really hard to clean and basically not a good idea, can you guys give me your input ? thanks

 

[shoegal]

Re: Changing from graval to sand

I would never have gravel in my axie tank. Ingesting gravel or stones and getting impacted is a very common problem that leads to serious health problems in axies. I have no problem keeping my tank with sand as the substrate clean.

How large is your gravel?

 

[melfly]

Re: Changing from graval to sand

Hi
I find any axie waste sits on top of the sand so is easy enough to clean.
You could go for barebottomed or slate tiled bottom.

Mel

 

[blueberlin]

Sand is much easier to clean than pebbles because pebbles have gaps between them that collect muck. It is important to note that the sand should not be more than 1 inch deep because otherwise it can form air pockets which then go noxious - maybe that's what your pet shop boy meant.

As shoegal wrote, pebbles larger than 3 mm pose a serious threat to your axolotls.

-Eva

 

[Truffs]

Hi, I swapped from large pebbles (which is what they were used to before i got them) to a bare bottomed tank but it looked a bit too bare for my liking and i wondered if the reflection from the glass bottom would stress my axies so i changed again to sand a few weeks ago and couldnt be happier. (i was going to try a slate bottom but i bought a brand new tank and didnt want to scratch it, i still want to try slate out in my currently empty old tank tho)

I personally think sand looks great as well as being safe and practical and its actually very easy to keep clean, i spot clean every day which is simple as any waste just sits on top of the sand and i do a partial water change every week with a syphon, a little sand does get sucked up when doing that but not much.

One thing i did find tho - i bought 'play sand' to start with but after using over 100 litres of water rinsing it (i know cos i had to use one bucket of water at a time!) it still wasnt clean, it was a very mucky dark brown colour and the water was still not running off it clear so i ditched that idea and hunted down some aquatic sand, it said it didnt need rinsing but i gave it one rinse anyway but it was perfectly ok, it didnt cloud the water and is a lovely golden colour. Maybe the play sand i got was a bit dodgy i dont know, but i'm very happy with the aquatic sand.

I've had no problems with the water quality since adding sand, its still as clear as always and the levels are all fine. My axies seem to love it too and its so cute seeing little axie footprints lol! :happy:

 

[Joker]

Thanks guys i will defenetly switch to sand asap, and truffs how do you do spot cleaning on a daily basis? do you just use the siphon?

 

[dragonlady]

I just switched all of my axie tanks (3) to sand and I have to say the worst part is preparing the sand to put in the tanks! I used play sand. I sifted it through a small mesh screen to remove wayward gravel and then rinsed, rinsed, rinsed, and rinsed again for hours until the water finally ran clear. I just use a regular fish net to remove solid debris as the sand falls right back through and a turkey baster for the less net friendly debris. So far so good! Good luck to you!

 

[tomkeogh]

I use a 6mm air line to syphon when I clean sand the water flow is so slow I can clean the whole tank and only syphon about 5 litres

 

[esoteric]

Hi, I find play sand from Argos is perfect. It does need cleaning first and it takes several rinses to get it just right, With enough agitation you find the real fine particles float off and the sand that's left clears almost instantly when put in the tank water.

As for cleaning, take a look at this baby.....

It's called a Soopa-Soaka or something and they are in Poundland. The whole thing is 28" long and it's perfect for sucking up un-eaten pellets, escaped earthworms, axie poo and most recently, those little jelly cones that Mike keeps leaving around his harem.

 

[Shizeric]

And if your family is annoying you, you can shoo them away by threatening to blast them with Axie poo water!

 

[esoteric]

I tend to wait for rowdy teens to walk past my back fence Eric...

 

[Truffs]

I think the turkey baster is the simplest and best bit of equipment there is, its so quick and easy, i have no idea who first thought of using one for tank cleaning but its a genius idea!!

For removing water & cleaning more of the sand surface i have a gravel cleaner attached to the syphon sometimes getting the syphon working takes longer than others (i'm too chicken to start it by mouth cos knowing me i'd end up with a mouth full of tank water lol! :rofl but its effective and fast when it gets going.

Cleaning a tank with sand i've found to be just as easy as cleaning a bare bottomed tank, the best thing is sand is pretty cheap so if you try it but dont like it its not too much problem to remove it :happy:


Ooh esoteric, I'm going to have to look out for one of those soopa soakers, they look interesting and i can think of a few potential targets already, who'd have thought tank cleaning could become fun lol!

 

[Joker]

thanks truffs i actually have the same syphon just need to get on the turkey baster i guess , those soopa-soaka's look like the ticket thou where can i get one? i have not seen them in any aquarium stores before , esoteric how much did it cost?

 

[esoteric]

Hi Joker, it cos all of £1, from one of those shops that sell everything at £1. I thought it was a real bargain, especially for people with taller/deeper aquariums. Having used it for a few weeks now, my turkey baster is in retirement and I'm buying one for my tropical aquarium too.

 

[SeanB]

For the syphon, what size are you using?
I've found:
6" x 1"
5" x 15/8"
10" x 2"
16 x 2"
24" x 2"

Thank you

\QUOTE]

 

[gilbertjelly]

Hi Esoteric

Your Soopa-Soaka looks fantastic
Wish i could get one in Australia
I also have teenage boys and squirting them also sounds like a good idea
Gave me a much needed laugh
Thanks

 

[esoteric]

Gilbertjelly, my eldest stops being a teen at the end of the week and I'm feeling pretty old right now. I have 2 spare, unused sooper soakers in a cupboard and I might break one out and ambush him next time he comes home from work (hit when they least expect it)... trouble is, I can't run as fast as I once could, I tend to just wobble quickly now, and if he decides to get even I'm doomed.