# More "poop" in my sand tank than gravel: Substrate



## cichfeeble (Jan 12, 2010)

I've got two 55g tanks with comparable level of stocking in them. But one of the tanks seems to have a lot more poop collecting in it than the other one does. I am not sure why this is, but I can only think of two possible explanations:

(1) The "more poop" tank has fine sand as substrate, versus gravel in the "less poop" tank. I am wondering if the poop is the same in both, but it's getting trapped between large gravel pieces, versus sitting on top of dense sand.

(2) The "less poop" tank has a decent size Synodontis eupterus in it, whereas the "more poop" tank does not have a catfish. Do the catfish eat the waste of the other fish?

Which, if either of these explanations seems more plausible?

I suppose it could also be a flow/filtration issue, but I have very similar filter setup and positioning in both tanks - an AQ70 feeding in from 2/3 of the way across on one side, and an Eheim 2236 feeding in from 1/3 of the way across on the other side.

Thanks!


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## Triton99 (Oct 27, 2010)

Number 1

Sits on top and is more noticeable.


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## Manoah Marton (Feb 17, 2009)

agreed.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

What does that say about your gravel bed.
Unless you really clean it, gravel will hold all that gunk.
No, the fish don`t consume the poop.
Would be nice to find a compatible fish that would feed off of feces.


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## Zoban (Apr 6, 2007)

Really wish there were an Aquaria version of the Dung Beetle, but alas the poop in the gravel tank is just down in the gravel vs. sitting on top of the sand ..


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## cichfeeble (Jan 12, 2010)

that's what i suspected 

just wanted to rule out possibilities. the fact that the sand is black makes it all the more noticeable. i do vacuum gravel every 2 weeks, so it stays pretty clean. the "good news" about my sand tank is that the flow tends to accumulate all the waste near the center of the tank - easy to remove.

thanks!


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## ssondubs (Nov 16, 2008)

A powerhead would help stir up the waste left on the substrate:


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## infotech (Jan 2, 2008)

I have really fine white sand in my 75 gallon and learned quickly that a power head shifts the sand until it shows the bottom of the tank. Is there anything that can be done to reduce that, but keep the gunk stirred up?

EDIT: That it doesn't poo the sand around, I left the f out of shifts...


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## ssondubs (Nov 16, 2008)

Keep the powerhead pointed a little higher so it moves the water slightly above the sand. The poop is light enough so that it will be stirred up without the sand blowing around.


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## infotech (Jan 2, 2008)

I setup a small Aquaclear 30 I have laying around and it seems to do just enough to sweep the sand without moving too much. The fish really seem to like it.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

infotech said:


> I have really fine white sand in my 75 gallon and learned quickly that a power head shifts the sand until it shows the bottom of the tank. Is there anything that can be done to reduce that, but keep the gunk stirred up?
> 
> EDIT: That it doesn't poo the sand around, I left the f out of shifts...


That is the price you pay for using fine grained sand.
Real balancing act, enough flow to move the poop, without stirring up the sand.
When the fish get big, sometimes it becomes undoable. 
The volume of movement needed to push the poop will move the sand as well.


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## ssondubs (Nov 16, 2008)

CICHFEEBLE, what kind of filters and or powerheads are you running? Try running 550 gallons per hour of filtration flow rate, this should help keep any dead spots away.


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