So, I'm setting up a new tank. Just got my hands on a 60 gallon, since I've been dying to upgrade for ages. I really liked the look of that soft sand that a lot of people seem to be using, but was wondering -- is there ever a problem with it getting sucked up in the filters, if the little guys are burrowing around all the time? Also, I've seen both black and light colored sand -- is there a difference or preference for the fish? Are there any alternatives to aquarium sand, since I'm looking at buying a fair amount? Is the composition different for different colors, and if so, will that affect water or fish?
I'm curious because I tried to do the southeast asian biotope thing with my other tank, ended up using lots of clay, and I swear the fish could care less. I read somewhere that the darker colored stuff was supposed to help shy fish, but even after I gave up on the biotope purity thing (I couldn't keep a plant alive if you put a gun to my head) and dumped in a packet of spare white gravel, nobody seemed to blink a fishy eye. So I'm guessing light colored sand wouldn't bother them, either? Do the fish even notice?
Sorry if that was babbly, I tend to fixate on these things
A little about me -- I live in Orange County, California. Currently in school and making my meager income as a freelance fashion and costume designer, among other things. I've been into animals generally and aquariums specifically since childhood, and was known for being the 3rd grader who sat on the tire swings reading Axelrod's Handbook of Fish Diseases. No joke -- I got a lot of weird looks that year *g*
I became obsessed with the idea of having a biotope a couple years ago, so that's what my main tank, a 20 gallon, became. After a year, though, I'd ended up trading all of my original stock for a trio of clown loaches, which were far more entertaining than anything I'd ever kept before or since. The Great Ich Plague of mid 2006 took two of those babies, so the lone survivor, Scooby, hung out with a school of glass catfish for the rest of the year until I could bear to get more fish. He was joined by a kubotai who followed me home from the pet shop in January. Seeing those two give eachother wistful looks of "if only you weren't so funny looking" as they swam together made me feel guilty, so four baby clowns and two kubotai joined the pair. The glassies moved to a tank of their own.
What that amounts to is that I currently have a 20 gallon with 8 loaches -- 5 clowns and 3 kubotai, which I know will get crowded very soon, hence the new 60 gallon setup. They are all still wee things, though -- the biggest (Scooby the clown and Mimi the kubotai) being 2" SL. I change the tank every other day with R/O water, nitrates are rarely in evidence, and they are all bottomless pits come feeding time.
Once I get the substrate thing figured out, I hope to have the new tank up and running within the next week. How much old gravel do you think I'll need to seed the new tank for fastest cycling time? Would it help much if I filled it with some of the water coming out during my frequent water changes?
Oh, and one last question before I send this, since it's already a small novel -- are there any Southern Californians out there? I saw somebody in Lake Elsinore and somebody in San Diego, but that was about it
Still looking for some recommendations for fish stores and suppliers, since I'm new to the area.Thank you all so much, and sorry for going on!
Regards,
Angela
).
. I use a combination of sand and small gravel but Shari's suggestion of pool sand is good one. (wish I had know about it before)
Please stick around. You might want to go over to the Freshwater Forum and vote in the gender poll. The girlies need a bit of additional support 
Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.
