Sand as a substrate

[HaNs]

What is the best to use?

Is it hard to clean? How do you clean it?

[Afrikan]

I use Daltons propagating sand, I like it because it doesn't fly everywhere like real light fine sand does. When bought we just gave the sand a thorough rinse in buckets and ran hose in till water ran clear. And even tho it is sand it seems really good to give a gravel vac, once again alot is rather heavy and doesn't fly up the grav vac like very fine sand does. Are you wanting to use sand for any particular reason?

[HaNs]

For and eel, so it can dig its self in

[jim r]

There is plenty of good river sand down by the control gate bridge when gates are closed and river level is low.

[coelacanth]

my 'banded eel' likes to dig under the sand sometimes with just his head sticking out, but my fire eel (in a separate sand-bottomed tank) prefers to live in the gaps between plastic pipes that are in there for catfish and never burrows.

When cleaning I just vaccuum over the top of the sand to pick up detritus, and give the sand a stir from time to time at the same time. Gravel is a LOT easier to look after, but the sand looks way better, and is good for things like Geophagus, horse-faced loaches, Corydoras, etc.

When I first put sand in two tanks heavy algal mats grew all over the substrate, and came back as fast as it was removed. Emerald cats (Corys would do the same job) got it under control in one tank with their constant foraging through the sand, and a Geophagus took care of the second sand tank quite nicely. No algae on the sand anymore in either tank.

[Dixon1990]

Did you get your banded eel from organism?

[coelacanth]

no

[Dixon1990]

I was going to get one from organism, but didnt. HOw big is your banded eel?

[coelacanth]

He's about 15cm or so. I don't like calling them 'banded eels' which is why I put it in quotation marks. I call them half-banded or common spiny eels (they are Mastacembelus circumcinctus if you need the scientific name). He's really awesome. His name is Denim Joe because he looks like he's made out of denim. He spends lots of time out in the open, and eats little earthworms, mysid shrimps, frozen bloodworms, things like that. I used to have one years ago too, but he spent most of his time under the undergravel filter plate (don't know how he'd get under there, but every so often he'd reappear in the tank itself). Funny wee guys they are.

[Dixon1990]

the one i was lkking at buying looked nothing like the Mastacembelus circumcinctus.

[coelacanth]

really? That's wierd. Should be the same fish. Anyone else out there know for sure what the banded eels being sold at the moment are? Mine definitely looks just like Mastacembelus circumcinctus, as far as I can tell. But then again, I'm happy to be proven wrong!

[snookie]

i second that the ones for sale up here dont look like that

[coelacanth]

in a lot of books and internet, there does seem to be confusion between circumcinctus and aculeatus, with both being labelled as each other. As I understand it, aculeatus is the one sold (I think) as "peacock eel", with the row of outlined spots near the tail. Circumcinctus is the one with banding along the length of the body, which is the one being sold at the moment as 'banded eel'. Anyone know if that sounds right? Or is it completely wrong?

[markoshark]

Peacock eels are also smaller.

[snookie]

no spots just the band i have also seen Zebra eels for sale

[coelacanth]

actually, does anyone know of a website that has pics of all the spiny eels?

[snookie]

any way we have totally hijaked this thread sorry Hans :oops: