LabFish 0 Posted September 24, 2005 I was wondering if was ok to replace my gravel with sand for goldfish ? 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
silver8328 15 Posted September 24, 2005 I heard its not good to use sand with goldies cause it irritates their gills when they search the bottom for food 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LabFish 0 Posted September 24, 2005 thx i was just wondering 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
toothless 4 Posted September 24, 2005 There seems to be much debate on wether sands are suitable for substrates in goldfish tanks. Here's my take on the whole subject: The three main reasons for sand not being suggested as a subrate are: Sharp beach and ocean sands are basically bits of broken down shells and other crustaceans. The sharpness of these sands can cause gill irritation in bottom pickers like goldfish. These sands, being made of shells and the like, are made of calcium carbonates and such. Calcium carbonates slowly leeach their payload into the water and can tweak the pH between waterchanges. Last but not least, sand, if left untouched, can form pockets of anaerobic bacterias that thrive in an oxygen free environment. Stagnant spots can lead to this. This can be deadly to goldfish. Goldfish are bred from carp. In the wild, carp do not have nice, evenly sized gravel coating every square inch of their rivers, lakes and ponds. Most of it is sand and, muck and leaf litter. The sands they encounter are not the same as the sands on the beach. They are made from crushed bits of rock and/or stone. It is my belief that sand can be successfully used in goldfish aquaria if the following precautions are taken: Use only NON-silca based sands. Never use more than 1 1/2 inch of sand unless you plan on doing gravel vacs twice a week. Turning it over is essential to keeping stagnant spots nil. Goldie help to do this too. Either keep the intake tube a couple inches above the sand surface, or if the tubes sits close to the bottom, utilize a sponge cut to fit over the end of the intake screen. Sand can ruin filters. So, if you stay within the boundaries above, I believe you will be taking the necessary precautions to keep your goldfih out of harms way..... Hpe this helps! Paul 0 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
