[Velvetdragon]

Hey! I've done a few NPTs over the years, but always used gravel as the cap. This time around, I want to try some coarse sand, just because I love how it looks. In plain sand tanks I've often kept MTS to stir it up. I know that snails in general help break things down faster in an NPT.

Are digging snails a good idea in an NPT with sand, to prevent dead spots? Will MTS will disrupt the soil layer too much in a dirt aquarium with their digging? I don't particularly want muddy water all the time.

 

[indy6724]

I have also startes my first NPT tank and what I have gathered is mixed reviews. I have done many tanks that have had pure sand on the bottom and eventually it becomes hard and compact. Eventually you either manually sift the sand or find something that will do it for you. But i have seen first hand that in a natural tank to much disturbance will result in murky water. My guess is either, try the snails, see how it goes, if you dont like the results, assasin snails. Or you can maybe use a pygmy cory cat species to move around the sand. Or do what I did and ditch the sand for a thin layer of gravel. LoL