Here I explain the steps I took to change my 75 gallon cichlid tank from having a gravel substrate to sand. At the end I sum up the pros and cons that I experienced six months later.
My tank is a 72 gallon bowfront and I'm so glad I switched to sand. Yes you should raise your intake to reduce the amount of sand getting in your filters. Thanks for watching!
@@bobbygsproaquarium thank you I really appreciate it but I thought you're supposed to add one pound of sand for a gallon of tank and you only added 50 lb so I'm assuming I could add 40 lb of sand to my 55 gallon. I cant wait to get started! Great video
I've sent hidden commands to cellphones to give a slap if you're nodding off lol. I'm trying to improve as I go, check a more current video. Thanks for watching and commenting!
I have been searching for tutorials on this topic for days. On google, TH-cam and tiktok. and this is BY FAR the best tutorial I have seen. I’m not doing a total change, I’m just putting some aqua soil on the bottom of the tank then putting the old sand back in on top so hopefully a cycle crash won’t be an issue but man thanks for this
Gorgeous results with your substrate change , Fish looks Great with all their beautiful colors showing with the white sand contrast , Great Job and Regards to your helper.
Thank you. I'm sure after you switch you'll never look back! With sand you just have to be careful cleaning the glass to be sure there's no sand in your cleaning sponge or it will scratch the glass for good.
I LOVE your video! & your voice. LOL. I'm new to aquariums, and your video was very helpful and clear to understand. I have decided to go with sand in my new aquarium as well. Your fish are BEAUTIFUL!
I've been looking at doing this for my tank which is a trigon 190 and thinking about how you did yours has now convinced me to get my act together and get it done thanks for the good advice 👌👌😁
Your welcome I'm glad you see the huge benefit to using sand. Be sure you have plenty of water flow across the substrate and your results will amaze you. I appreciate you watching my channel!
So helpful! Thank you so much for making this! About to make the switch from river pebbles to sand in my 220g 😳 and this has given me the motivation and confidence to get it done 👍
Thank you for sharing your experience with sand, I thought maybe changing my gravel for sand soon, and you convinced me to do so. By the way, you have a beautiful aquarium.
Thanks for making this video. We're gonna switch this weekend in our 55 gallon. Tired of losing goldfish to disease after 5 or 10 years with the gravel.
Thanks so much, now I can set up my new tank after much research. you hit on many things I have found and made it nice and concise, never mind the beautiful visual. I have had my sand but thought I needed dirt underneath and was worried about air pockets. It also looks like you didn't use a lot of sand.
i have sand and i went and got a sponge filter to put on the intake of my hang on back filter system. had to modify it but it works super! also replaced the cartridge filters with carbon filter pads cut to fit. now my water is the clearest it's ever been.
Can confirm that a sand bottom is way cleaner and easier to keep clean than a gravel substrate! My FX6 catches about 95% of the waste with the remainder being stuck around plant roots and decorations. A quick vacuum and it is done! Canadian Tire sells pool sand and I use that one, it is very nice and white with zero dust! Absolutely LOVED your store in London!!!!
Thank you for the comment, I think you really can't go wrong. Of course it depends what type of fish you keep but it works great with cichlids for sure.
Your tank looks great. I was always questioning which would be better, gravel or sand and your video cleared it up for me. It looks fabulous and I would bet that real plants would grow better in the sand, then in gravel. If you look in the bottom of a lake, especially in northern Ontario Canada, the bottom is all light brown/beige sand, made from granite and there is tons of healthy Jungle Val and Hornwort growing. The sand would be great for the root systems of plants.
Your tank is simple but really beautiful. I'm going with Sand for the 1st time on my new tank soon. I've chosen to go with a coarser sand from Caribsea (crystal river). Hoping it goes well.
Thank you! For me the advantage in sand is that it's fine enough that the fish and food waste doesn't settle down through the top layer. I'm hopeful in you choosing a courser grain that you will get out of it what you're hoping to. I'd love to find out how it goes. That's for watching!
What a lovely tank you have. And your poochy is so cute!! I've always been wanting but leery of changing over to sand due to issues i'd read about with water changes, vacuuming, etc. But i love plants, Corys, & loaches and it would be so much gentler on them. The one thing i'd do different in your change over is i'd probably take all the fish out with some of the tank water and put them into a bucket so as not to stress them during all that upheaval, but it looks like yours survived fine. I'm shocked when you say you don't have to vacuum it anymore. Shocked. The books all teach something else. You've really peeked my interest.
Thank you Windwipper for the comment and the advice. In future I will and have removed fish before making a change over like that. I'm not sure what books you're reading up on the maintenance required on a sand substrate. My advise is from very practical experience and although there has been quite some time since posting this video I still stand firm on the use of sand. But the key is to have enough water flow so the waste and detritus does not just sit on the bottom but rather get sucked up into the filtration. If you've already made the switch that's great if not charge ahead my friend. This switchover was done with pool filter sand and it is a good choice although I have since changed it again. The key is that your substrate is fine enough that the waste doesn't settle down in through it and also that your sand bed isn't more than about to inches .
I have a 55 gal. cichlid tank, and I love the sand! Used to do the gravel. but sand is a lot cleaner. Have a couple of geophagus that are spewing the sand around all the time. Good to know that the sand is better for cichlids also. The water is crystal clear all the time. Don't hesitate to change to sand if you are wary. I did, and not sorry I made the change. I also used the pool filter sand, and the biggest job was rinsing, but if you can do it by the bucket with an outdoor hose - it goes much faster.
I agree, I'd guess anyone that switches from gravel to sand would also agree. It's important to have lots of water flow so the poop doesn't settle on the bottom. Thank you for watching and commenting!
Dear sir really help full video I hv gravel in my 90 gal Cichlid tank & due to food and waste sticking inside gravel i was thinking to go for sand but little confused about results but after watching this video I shall also go with sand but when not sure as it depends on sand availability and time for doing all activity. Best of luck & Tcare.
You did a good job; however, I would recommend putting the fish in a quarantine tank or in the alternative, a bucket(s) with an air bubbler when changing out the substrate.
Gonna love changing my tank to sand this weekend. I have an unlimited supply of sand straight from the earth at a job site and its darker in color but so pure. Was wondering how to do it with the fish in. Thanks for this amazing video.
That's great you have an unlimited supply of sand. I switched mine with the fish in the tank so I don't understand your question, what specifically would you like to know?
HI Bobby, I much prefer sand. The waste sits on top and it's very easy to suck up. I started with similar gravel and I never liked it. The biggest thing is AC being sifters need soft sand. They can injure themselves with gravel. IT's a big job. I did that too but well worth the work Bobby!! I love the finished project. Looks stunning!!😁💦💘
I still can't believe how much easier it is to manage. One thing I didn't mention in the video is how important continuous water flow is. It seems the key to keeping the surface clean. Thanks for the kind words.
Bobby that's such a good point. Once in a while, I turn my wave makers to the bottom areas and just blow any leftover detritus to the water column for the filters to pull up!🌎😁💦💘
Yes I've always loved them although he isn't something many cichlid keepers would put in their tank due to the redtails potential for aggression but mines been fine and I had him for 2.5 years.
Great video. Thinking of doing the same. Btw, I see your Intake/output in the middle of the tank. Is there a video explaining why the middle? I've got a 36 bow and trying to figure out the best placement. Thanks
Thank you. Some of my newer videos show the upgrade to the 125 gallon and me progress to a fairly large fishroom. Thank you for watching and commenting and commenting!
Hi, great video, I have white sand in my 55 gallon tank for nearly two months, I used to do 50% water change twice a week and try to vacuum but doesn’t clean perfect as yours. Now my sand looks bit dirty colour. I can see yours still looks brand new and pure white. Could you please give some guide on maintaining white sand in aquarium? I wish if you could make a video on maintaining sand in aquarium. I noticed you have wave maker in your tank, does it help to clean the tank?
Great video! Very timely for me, I'm switching from a 60 gal. to a 75 gal. this week as time allows. Because of my Geophagus, Bichir, and Cory cats I'm switching to sand. AI hear Geos like to sift through sand, Bichir might swallow large gravel pieces, and sand is easier on the cat's barbels. I was concerned about the detritus build up, but I skimmed the comments and found the answer to that question. My one unanswered question is, does algae build up over time like it currently does for my gravel? BTW, I like the pace of your audio; slow and steady wins the race - and avoids having to rewind and view again. :)
Thank you for the very helpful video. I like the look of gravel and was wondering if gravel with some sand might be a good compromise as the sand would kind of settle into the gravel also, I have very few and smaller species of fish.
Thanks for watching my video I'm glad you got something out of it! I think mixing sand in with gravel would almost certainly be a mistake. You would no longer be able to vacuum your gravel since you would be suckling up all the sand. The beauty of the sand provided you have lots of water flow is that you will virtually never need to vacuum again. I'd suggest no more than 2 inches of sand otherwise you may create other problems. Hope this helps!
I wish I could add photos to help explain it would make it easier. Cut your Aqueon or Python hose at the point you would like your pump. On one end of the hose add a 5/8" barb to male GHT (garden hose thread), if using Aqueon you will need 1/2" barb as it is smaller the Python. On the other side of the cut add a 5/8" barb to female GHT (garden hose thread), if using Aqueon you will need 1/2" barb as it is smaller the Python. This will allow you to use the hose with or without the pump installed. On the pump you will need two fittings, one 3/4" NPT (national pipe tapered) to male GHT, and one 3/4" NPT to female twisting GHT. Be sure to use brass fittings for all and gear clamps for the barbed ends to attach the hose. I got all the stuff at Home Depot. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Turned out awesome! Really thinking about making the change. Few questions though. How powerful of a pump did you use for the gravel vac and did you use the same setup to remove the remaining bits of gravel?
I don't do anything to prevent sand from getting in the intake other than being sure they are not set too low. I know some people use foam on the intake but for me that would clog up far too quickly. Thanks for watching
Excellent video, exactly what I'm about to undertake! I was going to remove the fish though and put them in a temporary bucket with heater and filter, any thoughts on this?
I noticed on your TH-cam video on substrate you had blacken the 3 sides of the glass. I have Neon Tetras wand want to add this. What did you use and where do I purchase it
I am doing half of my tank in gravel and the other half with a very small black gravel just a little larger than sand, so wf have the brown gravel and small black, what do you think about that idea?
I personally don't think you will achieve the result that is explained in the video. I suppose it's all about what your hoping to achieve but I would do all sand.
Since I switched over to the sand several years ago I have not vacuumed. Even when I recently upgraded to a 75 gal., the sand that I transferred to the new tank wasn't very dirty. It was just red from clay.
@@operationhotshotinc.6887 I have lots of waterflow, including 2 wavemakers. As soon as it's disturbed a bit, it goes waterborne and ends up in the overflow.
I have had sand in my 36 gallon bow front for seven years. I was considering changing to gravel. Now I will keep the sand. I am wanting to grow plants. Should I put them into gravel filled terra cotta pots ? The sand is great for my corydoras they move it around daily.
What about the fish waste? I've too switched from gravel to sand. I put a sponge intake filter on the uplift tube , eliminates sand intake. But I have live hornwort and it sheds drastically. So... a vacuuming I go🎶🎵🎤
A pre-filter on the intake tube of a hang-on-back filter will prevent sand and other small detritus, even small fish, from getting sucked up into the filter motor.
Hi I was just wondering why at the end you said you don't need to vac the sand of waste etc? Wont it still build up ontop of the sand? Great video btw, the format and pace was well done.
Hi, if you have enough water movement from your filtration. You may need to add one or two wave makers and position them so the keep the survace of the sand clear but not so much that the sand blows away. I almost never vacuum my sand, maybe 2 or 3 times a year.
Two things: 1. Has anyone used the White Lightening brand for Fancy Goldfish and are the sand pieces of this brand you used uniform in size or are there small and larger pieces mixed? Thank you
I'm purchasing a new tank today as we speak i will be running this sand to i will have clown laches so I bet they will love this sand. with the sand since u don't vacuum the fishes left overs how do u get rid of them if they sit on the surface of the sand?
First of all try to get enough water flow over the substrate that the fish waste doesn't collect on the bottom. If you do have a dead spot where it does collect you will have hover your vacuum over it to collect it.
I also want to do this however I don't quite understand how you keep the sand clean without piles of fish waste. How does a filter pick this up off of sand ?
I add water circulation with whatever filtration you have plus additional power heads / wave makers to keep the water flowing across the sand so fish waste doesn't settle on the bottom. This way the waste gets mixed in the water column until your filtration picks it up.
Your aquarium looks so much better with sand! Im doing the same thing. Is your tank a 55 gallon? Did you raise your intake tube?
My tank is a 72 gallon bowfront and I'm so glad I switched to sand. Yes you should raise your intake to reduce the amount of sand getting in your filters. Thanks for watching!
@@bobbygsproaquarium thank you I really appreciate it but I thought you're supposed to add one pound of sand for a gallon of tank and you only added 50 lb so I'm assuming I could add 40 lb of sand to my 55 gallon. I cant wait to get started! Great video
@@affordableaquariumservices1663just a guideline. You generally want about an inch, at the least.
Great video but man did my phone slap my face while I was watching this. Your voice got me sleepy
I've sent hidden commands to cellphones to give a slap if you're nodding off lol. I'm trying to improve as I go, check a more current video. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Agree,..so funny man...lol!
I have been searching for tutorials on this topic for days. On google, TH-cam and tiktok. and this is BY FAR the best tutorial I have seen. I’m not doing a total change, I’m just putting some aqua soil on the bottom of the tank then putting the old sand back in on top so hopefully a cycle crash won’t be an issue but man thanks for this
The tank and fish will enjoy live plants growing in the new substrate.
Gorgeous results with your substrate change , Fish looks Great with all their beautiful colors showing with the white sand contrast , Great Job and Regards to your helper.
Thank you very much for your compliments. I am totally addicted to this cichlid hobby!
I think you're absolutely right when you said - "the black background combined with the white sand really makes the colours pop". Beautiful aquarium.
Thank you so much for your comment!
Thank you for the step by step! You're the real MVP! I'm making the adjustment from gravel to sand in my 150 gallon tank.
Thank you. I'm sure after you switch you'll never look back! With sand you just have to be careful cleaning the glass to be sure there's no sand in your cleaning sponge or it will scratch the glass for good.
I LOVE your video! & your voice. LOL. I'm new to aquariums, and your video was very helpful and clear to understand. I have decided to go with sand in my new aquarium as well. Your fish are BEAUTIFUL!
I changed to sand 30yrs ago. Cichlids love digging in it
I've been looking at doing this for my tank which is a trigon 190 and thinking about how you did yours has now convinced me to get my act together and get it done thanks for the good advice 👌👌😁
Your welcome I'm glad you see the huge benefit to using sand. Be sure you have plenty of water flow across the substrate and your results will amaze you. I appreciate you watching my channel!
So helpful! Thank you so much for making this! About to make the switch from river pebbles to sand in my 220g 😳 and this has given me the motivation and confidence to get it done 👍
That's great, good luck. Let me know how it turns out.
That's awesome! Let me know how the switch over goes.
Great instructural video Bob...you have a real knack for this
Thanks Marcus
Isn’t that weird, I have been wondering all day about the easiest way to change, and this video pops up
Thank you for sharing your experience with sand, I thought maybe changing my gravel for sand soon, and you convinced me to do so. By the way, you have a beautiful aquarium.
I'm glad I could help with your decision, I can't think of any reason you would regret switching. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for making this video. We're gonna switch this weekend in our 55 gallon. Tired of losing goldfish to disease after 5 or 10 years with the gravel.
I followed these exact steps and it turned out great. Thank you so much
That's great, thanks for the feedback.
Thank you for posting this! I have 2-6mm gravel at the moment in natural colours, but I'm super excited to switch to
Thanks for watching! I can't see why you wouldn't love the change, good luck!
Awe! Your chihuahua is adorable!! I am thinking of switching to sand too. Thanks for the video :)
Thank you we love our chichi's. Good luck with your switch over I think you'll be happy with the results. Thanks for watching!
Thanks so much, now I can set up my new tank after much research. you hit on many things I have found and made it nice and concise, never mind the beautiful visual. I have had my sand but thought I needed dirt underneath and was worried about air pockets. It also looks like you didn't use a lot of sand.
Very interesting. You have a gorgeous aquarium!
i have sand and i went and got a sponge filter to put on the intake of my hang on back filter system. had to modify it but it works super! also replaced the cartridge filters with carbon filter pads cut to fit. now my water is the clearest it's ever been.
Can confirm that a sand bottom is way cleaner and easier to keep clean than a gravel substrate! My FX6 catches about 95% of the waste with the remainder being stuck around plant roots and decorations. A quick vacuum and it is done! Canadian Tire sells pool sand and I use that one, it is very nice and white with zero dust! Absolutely LOVED your store in London!!!!
Thanks for the info!
Just the information and advice I was looking for, thank you.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for this video! It's very helpful for someone like me who never had sand in the tank and wants to try it :)
Thank you for the comment, I think you really can't go wrong. Of course it depends what type of fish you keep but it works great with cichlids for sure.
Thank you so much for the tips now my fish tank looks stunning!
Glad it worked for you as well.
Your tank looks great. I was always questioning which would be better, gravel or sand and your video cleared it up for me. It looks fabulous and I would bet that real plants would grow better in the sand, then in gravel. If you look in the bottom of a lake, especially in northern Ontario Canada, the bottom is all light brown/beige sand, made from granite and there is tons of healthy Jungle Val and Hornwort growing. The sand would be great for the root systems of plants.
Thank you for the comment, I'm glad this helped you in deciding which substrate to go with.
Great video. Wasn't sure if this could be done with fish in the tank but you showed it can.
After watching Bobby sir video, I also changed from gravel to sand by keeping fishes in my 90 gal tank its OK.
I used to use gravel but I use sand on all my new tanks now. Great video. New sub 😁
Thank you for watching, I will have part two out within a few days.
BobbyG.Cichlids maybe you’d like to checkout my channel 😉
Great info! I’ll be doing the same thing this weekend if all goes according to plan.
Thank you, I hope it goes well!
awesome video. very concise and good instructions
Beautiful tank and fish
Oh your chihuahua is adorable
Thank you, I love my chichis
Your tank is simple but really beautiful. I'm going with Sand for the 1st time on my new tank soon. I've chosen to go with a coarser sand from Caribsea (crystal river). Hoping it goes well.
Thank you! For me the advantage in sand is that it's fine enough that the fish and food waste doesn't settle down through the top layer. I'm hopeful in you choosing a courser grain that you will get out of it what you're hoping to. I'd love to find out how it goes. That's for watching!
Hey Bobby , Great instructional video. I use to use Prime until I found Safe. Last a lot longer.
Cali, thanks for watching. At the time of the recording I was using Prime but have since switched to using Safe also. Thanks for the tip.
Thanks for dropping the knowledge! great video. Cheers
My pleasure! Thanks for watching
You have a beautiful aquarium
Thank you so much!
What a lovely tank you have. And your poochy is so cute!!
I've always been wanting but leery of changing over to sand due to issues i'd read about with water changes, vacuuming, etc. But i love plants, Corys, & loaches and it would be so much gentler on them.
The one thing i'd do different in your change over is i'd probably take all the fish out with some of the tank water and put them into a bucket so as not to stress them during all that upheaval, but it looks like yours survived fine. I'm shocked when you say you don't have to vacuum it anymore. Shocked. The books all teach something else. You've really peeked my interest.
Thank you Windwipper for the comment and the advice. In future I will and have removed fish before making a change over like that. I'm not sure what books you're reading up on the maintenance required on a sand substrate. My advise is from very practical experience and although there has been quite some time since posting this video I still stand firm on the use of sand. But the key is to have enough water flow so the waste and detritus does not just sit on the bottom but rather get sucked up into the filtration. If you've already made the switch that's great if not charge ahead my friend. This switchover was done with pool filter sand and it is a good choice although I have since changed it again. The key is that your substrate is fine enough that the waste doesn't settle down in through it and also that your sand bed isn't more than about to inches .
@@bobbygsproaquarium Excellent advice! Thank you very much!
The white sand makes the colours of the fish pop out. Great change!
I have a 55 gal. cichlid tank, and I love the sand! Used to do the gravel. but sand is a lot cleaner. Have a couple of geophagus that are spewing the sand around all the time. Good to know that the sand is better for cichlids also. The water is crystal clear all the time. Don't hesitate to change to sand if you are wary. I did, and not sorry I made the change. I also used the pool filter sand, and the biggest job was rinsing, but if you can do it by the bucket with an outdoor hose - it goes much faster.
I agree, I'd guess anyone that switches from gravel to sand would also agree. It's important to have lots of water flow so the poop doesn't settle on the bottom. Thank you for watching and commenting!
nice - will try on my tank. THANKS for sharing !!!
Let me know how it turns out, thanks for watching!
Thanks! I was going to empty my whole tank and was scared I'd stress the fish out and loose some but now I dont have to cheers.
It's still a bit stressful for them but it worked well for me. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Excellent video! Thank you!
I love your helpers
Thank you they're awesome! Thanks for watching
Dear sir really help full video I hv gravel in my 90 gal Cichlid tank & due to food and waste sticking inside gravel i was thinking to go for sand but little confused about results but after watching this video I shall also go with sand but when not sure as it depends on sand availability and time for doing all activity.
Best of luck & Tcare.
Yes charge ahead you won't regret it.
Great video, nicely done!
Phresh Phish thanks so much for watching!
Very useful video thanks
It looks amazing.
Thank you very much!
You did a good job; however, I would recommend putting the fish in a quarantine tank or in the alternative, a bucket(s) with an air bubbler when changing out the substrate.
Thank you, I'd consider doing that also.
Gonna love changing my tank to sand this weekend. I have an unlimited supply of sand straight from the earth at a job site and its darker in color but so pure. Was wondering how to do it with the fish in. Thanks for this amazing video.
That's great you have an unlimited supply of sand. I switched mine with the fish in the tank so I don't understand your question, what specifically would you like to know?
I used white pool filter sand, works great for years.
@@ripsaw2322 Which brand did you use?
@@dvsasser not sure the brand, went to the pool place and bought it.
Great video
Thank you I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Great video Thank you !
Excellent. I think im gonna covert. Very good info. I have a 10 gal betta nano ehiem w plants Shrimp frogs snails etc.
Frogs will choke on sand.
I switched from gravel to sand. I regret not having sand over the past 30 years. Its way better.
I agree, so many years using gravel only to realize how beneficial sand is instead. Thanks for the comment.
Just beautiful ❤️
HI Bobby, I much prefer sand. The waste sits on top and it's very easy to suck up. I started with similar gravel and I never liked it. The biggest thing is AC being sifters need soft sand. They can injure themselves with gravel. IT's a big job. I did that too but well worth the work Bobby!! I love the finished project. Looks stunning!!😁💦💘
I still can't believe how much easier it is to manage. One thing I didn't mention in the video is how important continuous water flow is. It seems the key to keeping the surface clean. Thanks for the kind words.
Bobby that's such a good point. Once in a while, I turn my wave makers to the bottom areas and just blow any leftover detritus to the water column for the filters to pull up!🌎😁💦💘
Love the redtail! I love mine!
Yes I've always loved them although he isn't something many cichlid keepers would put in their tank due to the redtails potential for aggression but mines been fine and I had him for 2.5 years.
Great and informative video thankyou x
Thank you very much.
Thanks for showing this. I cant get my Nitrites down water changes 50%, 50% 25% just gone a bit from 90. So I'm getting the gravel out.
Glad I could help
I have a 20 gallon tank with a 30 gallon filter, do you think there will be enough current to keep most of the fish waste off the bottom.
Great video. Thinking of doing the same. Btw, I see your Intake/output in the middle of the tank. Is there a video explaining why the middle? I've got a 36 bow and trying to figure out the best placement. Thanks
Nice advice I was going to change but now I will not I have sand ( cichilds mix) thanks for detail explanation
Thanks for watching, I'm glad I may have saved you the work and possible disappointment.
Nice video. Thanks
Nice video I’ve done the same thing and I love it
Thank you I think once a person makes the switch they'll never go back. I appreciate you commenting!
really nice look!
Thank you. Some of my newer videos show the upgrade to the 125 gallon and me progress to a fairly large fishroom. Thank you for watching and commenting and commenting!
Nice video!! ❤️
Thanks for watching!
Hi, great video, I have white sand in my 55 gallon tank for nearly two months, I used to do 50% water change twice a week and try to vacuum but doesn’t clean perfect as yours. Now my sand looks bit dirty colour. I can see yours still looks brand new and pure white. Could you please give some guide on maintaining white sand in aquarium? I wish if you could make a video on maintaining sand in aquarium. I noticed you have wave maker in your tank, does it help to clean the tank?
Beautiful
Thank U...Great work.
Thank you for watching I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Great video! Very timely for me, I'm switching from a 60 gal. to a 75 gal. this week as time allows. Because of my Geophagus, Bichir, and Cory cats I'm switching to sand. AI hear Geos like to sift through sand, Bichir might swallow large gravel pieces, and sand is easier on the cat's barbels. I was concerned about the detritus build up, but I skimmed the comments and found the answer to that question. My one unanswered question is, does algae build up over time like it currently does for my gravel? BTW, I like the pace of your audio; slow and steady wins the race - and avoids having to rewind and view again. :)
Thank you for the very helpful video. I like the look of gravel and was wondering if gravel with some sand might be a good compromise as the sand would kind of settle into the gravel also, I have very few and smaller species of fish.
Thanks for watching my video I'm glad you got something out of it! I think mixing sand in with gravel would almost certainly be a mistake. You would no longer be able to vacuum your gravel since you would be suckling up all the sand. The beauty of the sand provided you have lots of water flow is that you will virtually never need to vacuum again. I'd suggest no more than 2 inches of sand otherwise you may create other problems. Hope this helps!
Thank you for sharing
Your welcome!
Great Video - Can you give us the detail about how you connect the Aqueon water change to your Megdrive 9.5 please.
I wish I could add photos to help explain it would make it easier. Cut your Aqueon or Python hose at the point you would like your pump. On one end of the hose add a 5/8" barb to male GHT (garden hose thread), if using Aqueon you will need 1/2" barb as it is smaller the Python. On the other side of the cut add a 5/8" barb to female GHT (garden hose thread), if using Aqueon you will need 1/2" barb as it is smaller the Python. This will allow you to use the hose with or without the pump installed. On the pump you will need two fittings, one 3/4" NPT (national pipe tapered) to male GHT, and one 3/4" NPT to female twisting GHT. Be sure to use brass fittings for all and gear clamps for the barbed ends to attach the hose. I got all the stuff at Home Depot. Thanks for watching and commenting!
GORGEOUS fish dude. Beautiful tank. Any more tanks?
Turned out awesome! Really thinking about making the change. Few questions though. How powerful of a pump did you use for the gravel vac and did you use the same setup to remove the remaining bits of gravel?
I'm pretty sure I just used my Python with a Magdrive 9.5 inline. I just used a hose to syphen out the remaining gravel.
Great !! thank you for you time
Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching!
That last part made me laugh [spoiler] "would I do it again? Yes, but I'll never have to.. Because I'll never use gravel again" :') great video!
Thank you very much for commenting it's much appreciated. I'm glad you enjoyed the video in that it provided some laughter for you.
Nice African cichlids tank...Great session...how do you keep the sand out of the filter? DO you have a picture of your intake tube?
I don't do anything to prevent sand from getting in the intake other than being sure they are not set too low. I know some people use foam on the intake but for me that would clog up far too quickly. Thanks for watching
I really wish I did sand before I did gravel , going to have to upgrade
The switch over isn't too bad actually.
Hi. Where did you buy thevsand? Thank you. Great video.
Excellent video, exactly what I'm about to undertake! I was going to remove the fish though and put them in a temporary bucket with heater and filter, any thoughts on this?
Thank you! Yes the next time I did this I removed the fish. Don't forget to add an air stone to the bucket as well.
I noticed on your TH-cam video on substrate you had blacken the 3 sides of the glass. I have Neon Tetras wand want to add this. What did you use and where do I purchase it
I used complete blackout vinyl window film. It's pretty easy to use and you can get it on Amazon.
I am doing half of my tank in gravel and the other half with a very small black gravel just a little larger than sand, so wf have the brown gravel and small black, what do you think about that idea?
I personally don't think you will achieve the result that is explained in the video. I suppose it's all about what your hoping to achieve but I would do all sand.
Great video.i am in the process of starting a new tank and i am thinking of using sand.do you have any problem with sand and external filters?
Some sand will end up in the filters but not too much if you keep your intakes high enough. There's no need to keep the close to the bottom.
Awesomeness. Thanks....
Thank you for watching!
Bro your so calming 😂
Since I switched over to the sand several years ago I have not vacuumed. Even when I recently upgraded to a 75 gal., the sand that I transferred to the new tank wasn't very dirty. It was just red from clay.
Yes it's so much easier to maintain. Thanks for commenting.
Just a question . How do you clean up the fish poop if you don’t vacuum ?
I have sand and would like not to have to vacuum .
@@operationhotshotinc.6887 if you focus on having lots of water flow it will keep the poop from setting on the bottom and will be filtered out.
@@operationhotshotinc.6887 I have lots of waterflow, including 2 wavemakers. As soon as it's disturbed a bit, it goes waterborne and ends up in the overflow.
I have had sand in my 36 gallon bow front for seven years. I was considering changing to gravel. Now I will keep the sand. I am wanting to grow plants. Should I put them into gravel filled terra cotta pots ? The sand is great for my corydoras they move it around daily.
I don't know too much about plants but can't see why they wouldn't be fine in the sand.
…you shouldn’t be having to do water changes twice a week! Wow!
Was there any difference in pH when you changed to the sand?
Looks a lot better
I left the 3 year old dirty gravel in there and capped it with 40 lbs of sand and lots of plants.
Now you have a nutrient supply only accessible by plant roots and does not fowl the water.... Nice
What about the fish waste? I've too switched from gravel to sand. I put a sponge intake filter on the uplift tube , eliminates sand intake. But I have live hornwort and it sheds drastically. So... a vacuuming I go🎶🎵🎤
im going to change to sand to looks so nice
Thank you, good luck with the switch over!
Do you think that you could do a short video on how you spliced your mag 9.5 into you aqueon system?
Thank you for the suggestion, I have added it to my task list and will hope to get to it soon!
Couldn't you use a pre filter sponge on your intake to reduce or eliminate the sand getting into your filter?
Yes for sure you could and likely a good idea provided you clean it regularly. Thanks for the suggestion.
A pre-filter on the intake tube of a hang-on-back filter will prevent sand and other small detritus, even small fish, from getting sucked up into the filter motor.
I'm relatively new to tank keeping. are those African cichlids? I read that they do way better with sand, as they are prone to decorating.
My cichlids are always rearranging there gravel, mostly for having babies.
Hi I was just wondering why at the end you said you don't need to vac the sand of waste etc? Wont it still build up ontop of the sand? Great video btw, the format and pace was well done.
Hi, if you have enough water movement from your filtration. You may need to add one or two wave makers and position them so the keep the survace of the sand clear but not so much that the sand blows away. I almost never vacuum my sand, maybe 2 or 3 times a year.
Two things: 1. Has anyone used the White Lightening brand for Fancy Goldfish and are the sand pieces of this brand you used uniform in size or are there small and larger pieces mixed? Thank you
The size of this sand is all the same.
I'm purchasing a new tank today as we speak i will be running this sand to i will have clown laches so I bet they will love this sand. with the sand since u don't vacuum the fishes left overs how do u get rid of them if they sit on the surface of the sand?
First of all try to get enough water flow over the substrate that the fish waste doesn't collect on the bottom. If you do have a dead spot where it does collect you will have hover your vacuum over it to collect it.
I also want to do this however I don't quite understand how you keep the sand clean without piles of fish waste. How does a filter pick this up off of sand ?
I add water circulation with whatever filtration you have plus additional power heads / wave makers to keep the water flowing across the sand so fish waste doesn't settle on the bottom. This way the waste gets mixed in the water column until your filtration picks it up.