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Going from barebottom to sand in goldfish tank - opinions??

4K views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  PaperclipGirl 
#1 ·
Hey there - My 55 with my little black moor and a golden oranda has a bare bottom - I personally like it, but I have recieved a lot of strange looks when people come over. My 55 with cichlids has sand and I like it too - so I was considering putting it in my goldie tank as it looks better....

I wondered if anyone had any experience with sand - oh - and what I have is size 70 blasting sand so it is super fine. I also have a Ramshorn snail and a few nerites...

Thanks in advance....
 
#2 ·
Sand in a fancy goldfish tank is a BAD idea. Fancy goldfish spend a lot of time on the bottom of the tank, both foraging for food and just hanging out. Rubbing their bellies on sand puts them at high risk of bacterial infections and abrasions, and foraging in sand is almost guaranteed to mean they will ingest it, which can then impact their digestive tract... and that can be deadly.

Medium to large grade gravel is better for fancy goldfish. It should be large enough they can easily spit it out if it gets into their mouths during feeding but not so large that it may get stuck in their mouths.

Standard pea gravel (found at Menards and most garden stores) is a great substrate for fancy goldfish. It is pretty, natural in color, no sharp edges to worry about, and is a great size to avoid ingestion issues. I have been using pea gravel in my tanks for years, its cheap and works great... and is great/easy for gravel vac'ing too.
 
#3 ·
I would not use the blasting sand because it might be calcerous and it will cloud up your water for eternity
 
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