# best substrate for red bellied piranhas



## matt1993 (Jul 7, 2009)

hi im getting some red bellied piranhas in a couple of weeks and im woundering what would be the best to use sand or gravle or a sand and gravle mix


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## lee79 (Apr 5, 2009)

Dont think it matters. gravel is prob easyer to clean


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## Riff (Nov 12, 2009)

Go for sand, much easier to clean as all uneaten food and fish waste will sit on top of the sand, with gravel, it holds to much waste and is harder to keep in top condition, also you need external filteration.


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## matt1993 (Jul 7, 2009)

yh ive got an exturnal pond filter sutable for a 10000l pond as i no the need alot of filteration lol just canged the media inside
could i use play sand or anything like that as i dont no much about sand and all the 1s in the lfs are a fortune


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## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

Yeah playsand is used by a lot of keepers, but unless you were planning on planting the tank with real plants don't put it down too deep- anaerobic bacteria can build up in pockets, producing H2S... which is toxic to fish.


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## matt1993 (Jul 7, 2009)

nah i wasnt planing on planting it just a few rocks a bog wood for hiding


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## matt1993 (Jul 7, 2009)

any way with the price of play sand ill just replace the lot every cuple of months to make sure


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## hippyhaplos (Jan 12, 2010)

If you put the wood etc directly on the glass, and put the sand sparingly around it, you should have no problems at all.


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## matt1993 (Jul 7, 2009)

sounds good ill try that


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