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 have been searching for tutorials on this topic for days. On google, RU-vid 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
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!
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. 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.
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 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!
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.
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.
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!
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!
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 👍
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 .
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.
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.
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!🌎😁💦💘
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.
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! 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. :)
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'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 use the same sand and i have a problem, the aquarium is like cloudy... my filters are working but looks like dusty, please help me i just add the sand 5 days ago...
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?
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?
Definitely no script although alot of thinking goes into my videos. I also don't like scripted videos and aim to sound more natural as I gain more knowledge. I appreciate you watching and commenting.
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!
You'll love it just be certain to rinse the sand extremely well unlike in my video. This product was said to be ready to pour in but it sure caused quite the dust storm! Good luck
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. 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
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
I've been using white sand for about 6 months. Unfortunately the color of the sand on the glass side turned brown. It looks really bad. Now I think about switching to basalt sand or river sand.
What do you mean the sand on the glass side, possibly you're getting light from an outside window through the side panel. How long has your system been up and running?
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🎶🎵🎤
