Gravel Or Sand/shells

[netpox]

When i purchased my 125 gal tank from craigslist last week it came with everything..even gravel. Gravel rocks are brownish color. I really wanted to have it white. I'm thinking about replacing it. It's a fresh water setup but i want to have white gravel or maybe like those little shells or sand that i see in saltwater tanks. Not sure what it's called. I haven't really priced it yet to see how much it would cost to fill up my tank's bottom with those little shells/sand or just white gravel.

If you had to recommend which one would you go with? Gravel or shells/sand? and why?

 

[CKutz]

this would be better off in the tropical discussion section, maybe a mod will move it for you.

it depends what types of fish you are planning on having. some bottom dwellers like loaches and cory cats love sand cause it doesn't hurt their barbels. i think some cichlids like sand, others like that "crushed coral" stuff i think..or else people just add it to raise ph for the cichlids..

search this site for sand tanks, look at many in the the members aquariums pictures section.
A lot of it is personal preference unless you want a fish that specifically likes sand.

usually lighter substrates like white gravel or white sand can make fishes colors less apparent. also, my gf had white rocks in her tank..and neither of us really liked it after awhile cause it makes the whole tank look really bright...which just sorta looks unusual in an aquarium..you don't expect the ground to be glaringly bright.

this would be better off in the tropical discussion section, maybe a mod will move it for you.

it depends what types of fish you are planning on having. some bottom dwellers like loaches and cory cats love sand cause it doesn't hurt their barbels. i think some cichlids like sand, others like that "crushed coral" stuff i think..or else people just add it to raise ph for the cichlids..

search this site for sand tanks, look at many in the the members aquariums pictures section.
A lot of it is personal preference unless you want a fish that specifically likes sand.

usually lighter substrates like white gravel or white sand can make fishes colors less apparent. also, my gf had white rocks in her tank..and neither of us really liked it after awhile cause it makes the whole tank look really bright...which just sorta looks unusual in an aquarium..you don't expect the ground to be glaringly bright.

i'm also a fan of getting stuff off craigslist, but you may want to make a post with what filters and heater you got (or just do some research) to make sure they are good enough for the tank..just cause someone else used it doesn't mean it is the right thing.

 

[netpox]

this would be better off in the tropical discussion section, maybe a mod will move it for you.

it depends what types of fish you are planning on having. some bottom dwellers like loaches and cory cats love sand cause it doesn't hurt their barbels. i think some cichlids like sand, others like that "crushed coral" stuff i think..or else people just add it to raise ph for the cichlids..

search this site for sand tanks, look at many in the the members aquariums pictures section.
A lot of it is personal preference unless you want a fish that specifically likes sand.

usually lighter substrates like white gravel or white sand can make fishes colors less apparent. also, my gf had white rocks in her tank..and neither of us really liked it after awhile cause it makes the whole tank look really bright...which just sorta looks unusual in an aquarium..you don't expect the ground to be glaringly bright.

this would be better off in the tropical discussion section, maybe a mod will move it for you.

it depends what types of fish you are planning on having. some bottom dwellers like loaches and cory cats love sand cause it doesn't hurt their barbels. i think some cichlids like sand, others like that "crushed coral" stuff i think..or else people just add it to raise ph for the cichlids..

search this site for sand tanks, look at many in the the members aquariums pictures section.
A lot of it is personal preference unless you want a fish that specifically likes sand.

usually lighter substrates like white gravel or white sand can make fishes colors less apparent. also, my gf had white rocks in her tank..and neither of us really liked it after awhile cause it makes the whole tank look really bright...which just sorta looks unusual in an aquarium..you don't expect the ground to be glaringly bright.

i'm also a fan of getting stuff off craigslist, but you may want to make a post with what filters and heater you got (or just do some research) to make sure they are good enough for the tank..just cause someone else used it doesn't mean it is the right thing.

This might sound dump but if i go with sand can i just get play sand from home depot? lol it's much cheaper and if i wash it out enough could it work? Does it have to be the sand they sell at the pet store thats like 500% marked up?

 

[fatheadminnow]

Yes, play sand is just fine, and a lot of people use it.

You just have to make sure you clean it good, just like everything else you put in your tank.

-FHM

 

[CKutz]

as a rule of thumb...buy as little as possible from petstores. hahaha, i'm just kidding, because there are some things you should probably get from them not somewhere else..but with many things (sand, stones, some decorations, filter floss) it is not necessary to pay their outrageous prices.

i used play sand from Lowes in my tank.
do some real searching around on here about sand though..it can be a tricky pain to clean, and you also want it in certain thicknesses depending on if you want real plants or not.

the posts below this thread (in the similar topics section) might discuss this, also if you just click search at the top and type washing sand, or sand substrate, anything like that you'll find stuff about it.

me and FHM also discussed it a bit in a post. if you click on his name and the click on view topics, you should see one about washing sand or something.
Do some research before you get into this, and the whole set up of the tank, it can save you a lot of hassle later on.

 

[netpox]

as a rule of thumb...buy as little as possible from petstores. hahaha, i'm just kidding, because there are some things you should probably get from them not somewhere else..but with many things (sand, stones, some decorations, filter floss) it is not necessary to pay their outrageous prices.

i used play sand from Lowes in my tank.
do some real searching around on here about sand though..it can be a tricky pain to clean, and you also want it in certain thicknesses depending on if you want real plants or not.

the posts below this thread (in the similar topics section) might discuss this, also if you just click search at the top and type washing sand, or sand substrate, anything like that you'll find stuff about it.

me and FHM also discussed it a bit in a post. if you click on his name and the click on view topics, you should see one about washing sand or something.
Do some research before you get into this, and the whole set up of the tank, it can save you a lot of hassle later on.

Cool thanks guys! I'll get the sand from Lowe's or Home Depot.