# sand/soil substrate burrowers



## dbean (6 Mar 2013)

hey guys, im jus setting up a 400litre tank with soil capped with sand, ive heard that keeping various burrowing snails will help in keeps anerobic pockets to a minimum which would be good but im keeping 2 species of loaches which will make a quick meal of any snails i add to the tank, are there any other species fish or otherwise that will sift through the sand enough to prevent these anerobic gases, i know poking around once a week will help release any built up gas but once my tank is fully planted i cant imagine ill be able to access all areas. Also once the tank is established in a few months do i still need to be poking around or is this just something to do for the first few months?

any advice and recommendations other than snails (if there are any) would be great,

Thanks
Dean


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## Gill (7 Mar 2013)

off the top of my head
obv. malaysian trumpet snails
fish wise, kuhli loaches, horse face loaches like to bury themselves in the sand with only the snout/eyes poking out. but heavily planted tank wont mix with burying fish.
I think you would be better off using snails as they dont uproot the plants.


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## timbob1387 (7 Mar 2013)

I'd say mts will be your best bet, mine are pretty impossible to crush so possibly be alright in with snail eaters


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## roadmaster (7 Mar 2013)

Once the tank is heavily planted ,,the plant's are capable of  transporting Oxygen to root's thereby causing little concern over anerobic area's.
Loaches will keep sand sifted, and also capable of uprooting plant's (stem) while searching for food. (khulli's not so much).
If sand is not over three inches,I would not worry bout anerobic area's.
Many pond's,lakes,have  bottom's of mud,sand,that never gety poked ,sifted, yet their fish population's thrive.
I have sandand or blasting media in three or four tank's approx two to three inches deep ,maybe a little more in the back,,and never touch the substrate.
Lot's of plant's prevent me from doing so even if i were so inclined.


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## ian_m (7 Mar 2013)

When I had sand and plecs and plants, I planted the stem plants through a circle/sheet if firm'ish filter floss (Algarde make springs to mind). Cut a circle of the floss, cut a slit in the middle, push the plant roots through and bury the floss circle in the sand. Bingo plants stay in place. Only issue was on smaller plants the plecs snapped some of them off rather than uprooting them, but generally most plants stayed put.


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## Tim Harrison (7 Mar 2013)

Keep the soil depth less than around 40-50 mm and the capping substrate grain size to around 2-3 mm and about 30 mm deep and plant heavily from the outset and you shouldn't have a problem with overly anaerobic pockets. This will also encourage a thriving oxidized microzone that will neutralize toxic substances and unlock nutrients. Check out the Tutorials section for more info The Soil Substrate Planted Tank - A How to Guide | UK Aquatic Plant Society.

But that said an excellent fish that absolutely loves burrowing is the weather loach (_Misgurnus anguillicaudatus_). I kept these in a tank with a peat substrate capped with fine sand and they spent most of their time buried with just their heads sticking out, with very little disturbance of the substrate, and plants I might add. Complete bugger to catch though.


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## kirk (7 Mar 2013)

Mine destroyed plants so rehomed them do miss there charictor though.


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