5 Substrate & Decor Tips!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
- Over the years I've used many different substrates and decors. Here are some tips that you might find useful in setting up or redecorating your tank.
Sand, gravel, bare bottom, rocks, lava rock, plants, man made decor or all natural ... there are many choices.
What has been your experience? Share your expeience below and let's all learn from each other (in the "Convo Gang", LOL!).
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Another great video, thanks for some great information and great options.
I have used just regular sand from our yard (cleaned and desinfected) in an african cichlid tank for years now and I've never had any problems with it. And I have several sifting species. Before I had the same sand 8 years in a goldfish tank and they sifted the substrate constantly as well. And I use buffers in my canister filters and my ph is constant. Sand is very easy, nothing really builds up anywhere but in my filters. But if you use a very thick bed of sand, be sure to move it around regularly to prevent if from clogging. It it gets clogged, some poisonous gassed can build up inside the substrate and when the fish dig through it, they can release the gasses to your water column and it can be a disaster. If bubbles are released when you move your sand around, it means something needs to be done, especially if it smell really bad, like rotten egg. Clogged sand can also turn grey and any blackened sand needs to be removed and cleaned. But having only an inch or two of sand is thin enough layer to be safe and not be prone to clogging. Also, don't use super super super fine sand since it clogs very easily. But if you use buffers inside filters, choose your sand grain properly and use only an inch or two, it is hands down the most low maintenance substrate you can have. And the prettiest too if you ask me. Love your videos btw :)
I've been using a mix of blasting sand and pool filter sand for 6 months and so far I have seen no problems but I will keep an eye out for this.
Nice vid. I like the best of both worlds. I use 25% crushed coral 25% crushed shells and 50% sand. I don’t mind vacuuming the substrate for every weekly water change. I prefer for the gunk to go into the substrate rather than my filters and vac it out. Also with this mixture every water change the fish get a top layer of sand to sift while still being able to “redecorate” the bigger substrate. I pretty much leave it how they “decorate” it and just pull the sand to the top of the areas when I vac where they stack it up.
Moto Stacker Excellent point on being able to pull out the waste with water changes, removing entirely from ecosystem, rather than going into filter 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Thanks for your insight !
You’re welcome 😀👍🏻
Great set of tips! I primarily use pool filter sand in my tanks with the exception of my betta tank, which has aquasoil. I prefer bare bottom for quarantine tanks though as it’s so much easier to clean than tanks with gravel or sand, and I think that’s the main reason why some other folks prefer bare bottom.
Eartheaters - I use Quikrete medium sand with mine and haven't had any problems. Larger fish can handle fine round gravel, but small fish will start sifting right away with sand. Blasting sand has the sharpest edges, as its supposed scrape off material.
I use roundish rocks from gravel yards. I agree with you on the sharp rocks, especially lava rock. However, lava rock in a shrimp tank is a joy to watch.
Of course planted tanks is a whole different story - as I am quickly learning.
I believe different tanks have different needs. Buffering is needed sometimes, but can be placed into the filter. One thing I am considering is floor tile. Same cleaning advantages as packed fine sand or bare bottom, but more options in color and texture. Add a hand full of pea sized gravel, and larger of a matching color to break up the general "flat look" to complete a more natural look. Still contemplating ideas and options regarding adding plants on and poss into pieces of hardscape to complete the look.
Nice job man
Hello what power head would you recommend for a 125 gallon corner unit? I really want to do black substrate but want to make sure it’s kept as clean as possible. Thanks for your help.
I'd be interested in seeing these various sands under some power of magnification to KNOW for sure if there's any accuracy in sand having sharp edges or not. Blasting sand, play sand, pool filter sand etc... A 6X magnifying glass or a 10X jeweler's loop should provide enough power to see the sand edges.
Great video Ben as always. Thanks, keep up the good work.
I have the course 1620 grid blasting sand for my 110 gal guppy stock tank & have had no issues from it or my guppies.
GOOD in the hood guppies Do guppies sift through the sand much?
I have a tanks with pool filter sand, play sand, and “cichlid sand”. The play/filter sand are def cheaper. A 50 lb bag of playsand at Lowe’s is like $5. The tanks with the cichlid sand though buffer the water to the needed Ph, which in the long run saves on chemicals.
Two tanks have play sand 1 grow out 1 display. The display tank fish sift through the sand with no problems. I will not that the smaller fish in the grow out will sift at first and then stop. I can’t speak for if they would do the same if it was the cichlid sand, but I do find it a little interesting. I had never thought about the sand being sharp, and maybe that’s the reason. I obviously can’t say 100%.
I've had gravel, sand & bare tanks, its really the fish keepers preference...i think.
Used pool filter sand for years with no problems. Doesn't get sucked up by a python or compact to form anoxic regions. And it's cheap, $6 for 50 lbs. Haven't had any lip/whisker problems on cichlids, loaches, or cories, either.
Great tips
Hi Ben I currently use crushed coral and aragonite substrate in my 125 and I want to switch to sand. I’ve been a coral/gravel guy since the beginnings and I’m scared to death to try but I’m jumping in with both feet.
What I just bought is White CaribSea African Cichlid Mix ( I got Four Forty pound bags for $60 ,so why not right? ) and I play on mixing in a couple of bags of aragonite to give the sand a salt/pepper look and to add to the buffering. So my question to you Sir is how would you going about this step by step. I have about 24 3-5” Cichlids I have only been in the rank a month maybe,see I had Frontosa/Tanganyikan’s previously. I was thinking I would lower level by saving 2/3 of the water in totes with the fish from the tank and the completely scoop out the old and the add the new rinsed sand mix then adding 50% new water mixed with the old and then add fish. Do what do you think,what would,how would you do this. Much appreciated my friend 👍
I would do a project like that over time because when you replace substrate you’re removing a lot of beneficial bacteria. I’d suggest removing 1/3 of the total substrate per week for 3 weeks, adding a bacteria booster like Seachem Stability or Fritz Turbo, with each step of the process. Good luck.
Hey Ben I use aquarium designed sand by JBL it's German made and I'm not sure if it's available in America they make various colours and I use the river one. I have corys and Khuli loaches to help turn it over and it looks great with my pebble and driftwood scape. I also have two plant beds with volcanic rock and Aqua soil.
Matt Phillips Sounds like a great set-up. I haven’t seen JBL here in the U.S.
Too many topics lol:
Substrate: I’ve black diamond mixed with aragonite. I’ve had zero issues with fish getting cuts, but it’s only a matter of time before they find a stinger.
Decor: I’m using huge granite pulsars you find near a canal. I take a hammer and bash all the corners down then toss a grinding wheel around it for a bit. Eventually I will find some limestone boulders I like (30lbs plus)
With discus, I believe the bare bottom thing is from breeders and laziness. If you have a heavily planted tank, the discus will be just as happy as in a bare bottom. You just have to keep the water fresh, and if there’s no substrate, there’s less work on those water changes.
Shawn Riccelli I believe limestone is great for buffering
Yep, that’s exactly why I want to switch. Granite boulders are free, limestone around here? Not so much.
Thanks Ben! My concern with sand was the effect on my FX5 but I can be flexible in that and put a different filter in instead. Finding proper substrate here is really difficult! I may have to drive to the next city to find it.
You may want to rethink your bare bottom, those mountain tops get cold.
No problems with black diamond blasting sand it is in 8 of my aquariums
my decor is black sand and black background it really brings out the color
kratos Yes. I love my black/black set-up.
@@BenOchart I want black sand but dont know what brand to buy?
@@RashawdEstep Mine is made by a company called imaginarium. There are lots of brands out there. Even black diamond blasting sand from your local hardware store will work.
Hey Ben I know it all boils down to what the fish need people say it’s what they have in the wild and we all know most of our fish are all captive bread they have never seen any other substrate except what’s in our tanks it’s what we personally like. What is sand but pulverized coral or stone. At some point whether you have sand or crushed coral it will stop buffing water I’ve had both also deep sand and coral beds I’ve replaced both in mature tanks too help me chase proper PH and so on. I used deep sand bed to see if bacteria could help me along with tons of filtration to curb maintenance almost like a bio tope didn’t end well. Using shallow sand or coral beds and maintenance now. I figure only positive to bare bottom is for easier maintenance you can see all dirt and remove it guys with reef tanks need that steady parameters too keep everything healthy. Some fish like to sift though sand all day looking for food witch maybe instinct so there less stressed and hopefully happier
Ben you asked about anaerobic system at the bottom of the tank. I would suggest you watch Dr Kevin Novak's videos on plenum.
I use plain old sand. I've got some natural brown/gray sand in some tanks and white sand in the others. Is crushed corral smooth?? It seems like it would be quite coarse.
Cichlid Center Maybe due to time/erosion it’s very smooth
Sage advice, using aquarium specific sand or gravel.
You pay more, but you're guaranteed the right tool for the right job
Thank you so much for the video Ben! . OK guy's. I have a question? I've been wondering,!?! Okay so I have three venustus fish one male, two females or at least that's what I think. Also one male rostratus, along with a male strigatus, with an unknown cichlid but I have yet to figure out what type of cichlid is 🤔. Oh yeah answer that question I had. With the fish that I've stated I have I have a black painted background , I have white sand, I'm wondering if I should change the white sand to black sand, and if it will make my certain fish stand out!?! . Thanks in advance. 🐟
Michael, do you like the way they look now? Even with a change of sand color, if that male venustus gets fired up about breeding, the other fish are going to color down to get out of his way. Lots of factors impact fish color. Diet, lighting, substrate, water quality, and tank mates.
@@BenOchart thanks for the reply my friend. I still have the back of the tank painted black, with a very light colored play sand. I'm pretty happy with it, but I'm wondering, would it be best to keep the background black, or to get one of those backgrounds that go on the outside of the tank? I had my eye on a slate looking one, that I posted on the Facebook forum which everybody voted for LOL. So I'm kind of still undecided and on a mission on choosing a nice looking background. By the way my Fisher are juveniles at around 3 and 1/2 in . I'm not comfortable with doing the internal ones as I have to remove all of the water all of the fish Etc plus and they are way too expensive. Thanks in advance Ben , and enjoy your weekend!
Great video buddy
i prefer white gravel... easy to clean.. and makes my fishies look nice..
I use fine ground coral sand mixed with a few glass diamonds as bling, Plants i use fake due to a great look always and much cleaner. Tried deep sand bed and had a bad experience with due to poisoning as food and waste gets in deep. Yet another great video, thank you.
Quartz pool filter sand! I have only used this. It doesn't have silicates in it and it is failry cheap on price. I think $12 for 25 pounds at my local pool store.
Hello Ben, Is this the African Cichlid Zack Black Sand Substrate? There seem to be two or three varieties of black sand substrate by Caribsea. Can you please provide the exact name of the substrate that you are showing in this video at 0:54? It would be very helpful.
The black sand in the 100 gallon is from Imaginarium. I believe that Imaginarium is a Petco trademark and the sand can be purchased on line if you don't have a petco near you.
Thank you !
I use pool sand from Home Depot I rinse it good i have had no problems with it.i like to go to black sand
the more I learn the more I like sand. Put it in and leave it alone, let the powerheads and filter do the cleaning and let the bacteria build up in the bottom few inches.
Ben Ochart I don’t know what I’m gonna do with my peacocks they just don’t get along and I’m tired of the fighting killing other tank mates. So if I do change to a different type of fish I’m gonna put black sand in there I just think it looks really nice. It has become a job more than it has an enjoyment
Aragonite! I think Cichlids must be kept in aragonite substrate sand is also good option but maintaining the quality of the water will be an issue
Gaia Aquatic Pets I feel like aragonite really doesn’t do much to buffer the PH with my tap water being so acidic
Lovin' the Clown Loaches
What powerhead would be indicated for a 20 gallon.
Very cool fish choke on small gravel me I opt for 1/4 inch of sand to no sand. Your fish and tanks are Beautiful. Me I would put crushed coral in a plastic bowl in the sump as a buffer. For marine fish and Africans.
Having crushed coral should be a requirement for all cichlid tanks...not only can it be a substrate but it will keep your pH high at all times and that's exactly what cichlids need.
I would agree for anyone who has low pH but what about someone with already high pH. Requirement is probably not the right wording here. I don't need to raise my pH due to already high pH here in Indiana.
@@zacharyhewitt4662 if you have high pH, crushed coral won't lower it. What actually happens with crushed coral is that lower pH water melts it away...and that process of it breaking down is what raises the pH. You probably won't see higher pH than 7.6-7.8 with crushed coral...if your pH is already higher than that, the coral can just act as a substrate. It won't ever melt away but if you do ever have an instance that it drops, it will buffer it up.
I need this as my tap water is really acidic for my cichlids
What you Mean by buffers?
U can get sharp sand like building sand is smooth and concreteing sand is sharp but u wouldent wana use eva of these in the aquairium anyway but u gan get sharp type of sands that look smoth
Hey Ben I have a 125 with an FX6 and 3 aquaclear 110’s. All of my Aquaclear 110’s have a pre-filter and tonight I just made a homemade pre-filter for the FX6 because I have sand. My worry is that the African cichlids will stir up the sand and the FX6 sucks it up and ruins the filter. What are your thoughts on that?
Wally S that has not been a problem in the FX-6. The sand would have to get through a lot of sponges and media to get to the pump motor. Not sure with the aquaclear since I haven’t used them
Wally S the FX6 is designed for you to upgrade the intake with your own pre filter sponge if you need it, most of us that have the FX6 or 4 have put a pre filter sponge because we have sand substrate or small fish or shrimps that could be sucked in bear in mind it has to be a very course sponge or it will clog up fast and put a strain on the pump in the filter
Matt Phillips gotcha. I have sand substrate and don’t want my mbuna stirring it up or fry getting sucked in so I agree with you. I made my own out of a coarse Aquaclear clear 110 foam insert and cut it to size. Not to exact specs but, it does the job.
@@wallys7016 it's all we can do.. My big display tank is a Juwel Trigon 350ltr it's German made, it use to have a Juwel internal filter but with turning my tank into a mixed puffer display it wasn't cut out for that kind of bioload. I pulled it out and fitted the FX6 and after learning through trial and error which type of sponge to use I cut down one of the old course sponges out of the Juwel filter. I have Khulie loaches in the display to help turn the sand over and they can be a nightmare for getting into filter cannisters.. 😂
👍 👍 👍
Great video. I have the black blasting sand mixed with Aragonite in all my Cichlid tanks. Not only is it cheaper than store bought Cichlid sand, but it looks exactly the same, and buffers the PH to 8 - 8.2 at a third of the price. I like the salt and pepper look, and its soft enough to vacuum without issues or fish waste getting stuck in it. My Mbuna's redecorate the tank every day for me! lol Thanks again for the video.
Chris S Might very well be the best solution in terms of both price and function
so substrate is what you put in your tank for the fish
It's what's on the bottom
I’ve tried sand before. I whined up giving it away. I think a pea size gravel is good for plants. Use a Python Cleaning system to suck up in between the nooks and crannies. Sand is not good for live plants. Are those real plants you have in that tank behind you? Those fish you have destroy plants. I have Petrified Wood and River smooth Stones for my future tank. I found Petrified Wood in my Ranch in Snowflake, Arizona. I’m 20 miles South of the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert State Parks. My landscape is mostly River Bed Rocks, so there smooth as heck. I can’t use the word Dinosaur Bones, because then the State will Barr me from sticking a shovel into my property without permission and a State witness. Most folks up here use Dinosaur Bones as door jams in Snowflake. Funny huh? Not me though! The most I say is I found Clovis Heads in my Ranch.
HI BEN; GREAT VIDEO AS USUAL....I ALWAYS HAD WHITE SAND IN MY AFRICAN CICHLID TANKS. BUT ITS NOT THAT EASY TO KEEP CLEAN. WHEN YOU SIFT THRU IT YOU ALWAY LOSE A LOT OF SAND. THEN I WAS NOTICING THAT MY NITRATES WERE A LITTLE ELEVATED. SO I DECIDED TO GET RID OF THE SAND AND I NOW USE A WHITE PORCELAIN TILE ON THE BOTTOM. IT LOOKS JUST LIKE SAND ON THE BOTTOM AND IS SUPER EASY TO CLEAN ALL THE DETRITUS OFF THE BOTTOM. ANOTHER GOOD THING IS THE FISH USED TO SPIT THE SAND IN MY FLUVAL FX6. AS YOU KNOW IT COULD MESS UP THE FILTER. NOW SINCE I SWITCHED MY NITRATE LEVELS ARE DOWN AND MAINTENANCE IS VERY EASY.. I WOULD NEVER GO BACK TO SAND OR GRAVEL....
Hey my man, Im brand new with just a 29 gallon community tank. I really like your videos. Im looking at eventually getting a 120 and maybe doing one side gravel and the other side sand for fish something like what you have with cichlids and maybe a pleco and loaches. I dont mean a mix but a hard line down the middle. i really appreciate your input
If you put sand on one side and gravel on the other... after a short while, you will have sandy gravel throughout the whole tank. They will definitely mix
Ben. are you getting any sand in the FX6 ?? Sand accumulation ruined my motor in the fx 6. I've been using using pool filter sand for years.
I have cleaned some out of there. I started running the intake a little higher to help with that.
lava rock has put scratches on my aqaurium glass..
Yup, me too.
Oh shit, I have nothing but lace rock in my tank.....