Anyone know how much rock/sand I need in a 40 gallon aquarium. Also whats the difference between rocks and?

Question

the sand I mean they do the same thing? And is there a quality change in types of rock or just in appearance only

Answer 1

I'm going to assume/hope that you know the difference between rocks and sand, but, instead, meant to ask when it is appropriate to rocks or sand. Sand should never be used as an regular option, but only for certain specific fish that can handle or need sand, such as in saltwater tanks or for cichlids. Sand is not appropriate to use for goldfish nor for the large majority of tropical fish. It is difficult to clean and the individual grains of sand act like little shards of glass when they get in the gills of some fish and can cut their gills very badly. Rocks are an option for people who don’t like gravel, but if you use medium to large pebbles or river rocks, you need to have an extra good filter to make up for the lost media the substrate provides for the cultivation of the beneficial bacteria. Bare bottoms are also an option and carry the same requirement for filtration as for river rocks. The all around best substrate to use is very fine gravel. It is not standard and can only be found in better LFS (local fish stores), but it captures the beneficial bacteria excellently, but is still easy to vacuum.

Answer 2

Are you asking for the saltwater tank you've been asking about setting up?

For the bottom of the tank you want to use something made of aragonite (shell and coral material, even though it might be called "live sand"). The reason for this is that aragonite will help keep your pH from falling too low. If the water has a pH below 7.8, the aragonite will slowly dissolve releasing calcium and magnesium (which fish, corals, and inferts will use in their "skeletons") and carbonates which buffer the water and prevent the pH from changing too quickly. Regular aquarium gravel or true "sand" (which is silica) are inert and won't do this. You should check the pH of you tank, because even with the aragonite, it won't keep the pH where it should be, which is between 8.2-8.4. If it only goes to 7.8, you'll need to add kalkwasser to raise it to the level needed.

The same goes for rocks/live rock. There are types made of coral skeletons or calcium carbonate that also belp buffer the pH. Beyond this, they also provide hiding places for the fish. Even though it seems counter to what you want to do, you need to provide lots of hiding places in the tank - marine fish are territorial, and will claim an area for themselves. If there aren't a lot of places for them to hide, they'll spend most of their time in their "safe place". But if you provide a lot of hiding spots throughout the tank, the fish will travel between them because it knows that if there is something threatening, there is a close place it can duck into. If you aren't sure about the rock, if you drip some vinegar on it and it fizzes and bubbles, it contains carbonate.

The terms "live" for live rock and live sand refer to bacteria that are needed to convert the toxic portions of your fishes' wastes to relatively safe forms. Although with like rock, you're likely to get live sponges, shrimp, snails, algae, and other "critters". I prefer to get the live rock, then dry aragonite sand - the bacteria from the rock will eventually colonize the sand making both "live" but saving on total set-up cost.

If you use rocks as well as sand in the tank, place the rock first so it sits directly on the bottom and stack the pieces securely. If fish try to burrow in the substrate, this prevents them from toppling the rocks, which can shift if they only sit on the sand.

If you're asking about a freshwater tank, be sure NOT to use aragonite materials unles you're keeping cichlids or other fish that need a higher pH. The biggest difference between aquarium gravel and sand in a freshwater tank is cleaning them - food and wastes can fall between pieces of aquarium gravel, but these lay on the top of sand. Also, keep the bed stirred if you use sand - if the particles are fine and don't allow water circulation, toxic hydrogen sulfide gas can build up in the bed.

Answer 3

yeah they do about the same thing but why get rid of one, you want ur tank to look nice and resemble the ocean dont you