Newbie

[Doubleknotspy]

Ok i think with a small tank the sump would be redundant?

Do I need to vaccuum the sand?

[Snelly40]

i vacuum the sand at each water change, stirs it up a tad but gets rid of some algae. not too much though cuz there are a lot of good things in the sand

[Woodstock]

Originally Posted by Doubleknotspy

Ok i think with a small tank the sump would be redundant?

Sumps are always great to have. They provide a place to hide skimmers, heaters, etc. AND add more water volume to the system

Do I need to vaccuum the sand?

Depends on the diameter... vacuuming very fine sand would only result in sucking the sand out. Stirring the sand down about 1/2" or so and then vacuuming out the suspended particles would work well.

[Snelly40]

if you can fit a sump i would recommend it, i want one but no place at the current time

[Doubleknotspy]

What diameter of sand is recomended?

[cheeks69]

IMHO if you have the room and the $$$ I would definitely suggest you go with the biggest tank you can afford right now instead of upgrading. ALL the equipment you get for the smaller tank will need to be upgraded so in the long term it'll be much more expensive. I too started with a small tank and it's my biggest regret I have since I've been in the hobby. I started with a 30 went to a 45 and now a 93 gallon and I have spent a small fortune upgrading. Just my 2 pennies.

What diameter of sand is recomended?

I would go with the finest sand you can find which will give you a large surface area for bacteria. Since your going FO you can also go Bare Bottom with no substrate at all which will be easier to clean.

[Doubleknotspy]

What is FO?

[cheeks69]

Originally Posted by Doubleknotspy

What is FO?

Fish Only.

[Doubleknotspy]

lol of course!

i was looking for something more complicated.

Your tank is beautiful?

But I see a lot of sand?

[cheeks69]

Originally Posted by Doubleknotspy

lol of course!

i was looking for something more complicated.

Your tank is beautiful?

But I see a lot of sand?

Thank you.
Yes I use a deep sand bed but in a FO with alot of messy eaters that will probably be a problem with detritus accumulation. I would opt either for a thin layer of sand that can be easily vaccumed or bare bottom.