Gravel Or Sand ?

[Sammy78]

Just wonderin, I have a gravel bed in my tank and I have noticed some people choose to go with sand.

Does one have an advantage over the other or is it just preference?

What about bacteria, what surface might hold more of the "good" bacteria?

And how about cleaning ? Since I only have used gravel in my fairly new tank, I only know from experience with this type of setup, but maybe some of you out there that have the sand setup can share your thoughts.

I was curious about this because the more that I see tanks that are setup up with sand in them, the more I am starting to like the natural look they have.

 

[orange shark]

people put sand in their tanks so its more comfortable for bottom dwellers like catfish.

I find sand easier to clean because everything shows up so it cant be missed but other people may disagree with me

 

[GRJ]

I am about to set a Mbuna tank and i am going to use sand, so i am glad you said its easier to clean! I have gravel in my tropical tank and you just dont realise how filthy it is until you come to do a gravel vac and the water is yakky and reddish brown! Urgh!

 

[sizzla01]

Ive got gravel but wat i've always wondered is

Is it possible to have both in your tank ?? lets say a seperate section of sand and gravel ?

Does anyone have this or heard of this ?

Thks in advance

 

[Bullrock74]

Some people who have sand end up not liking it since it has to be cleaned VERY often unless you don't mind looking at your fishes' excrements. I had gravel and then switched to sand and whenever I move (in the next year) I will not set up my tanks with sand, again, instead I'll be using gravel. I use a python to perform water changes and it, unfortunately, was designed for gravel substrates, so when I switch back to gravel, it'll be much easier to clean the tank.

For those who might be wondering why the Python doesn't work so well with sand, here goes:

The hard plastic tube that you hold onto when hovering over sand to pick up waste is so large in diameter that it provides very little suction. In order to get more suction, you end up just using the small diameter soft tubing that used to connect to the larger diameter hard plastic tube. This gives much more suction, but requires much more work to clean the sand unless you clean the sand every two days or so and therefore have less waste needing to be removed. But, switch to gravel substrate and then you can use the larger hard plastic tube, again. This works by actually pushing the tube through the gravel until it rests on the aquarium floor itself. Then, you'll begin to see the detritus swirl around inside the tube until it all gets sucked out of the tank and into your sink. When the water inside the tube becomes clear again, then you move the tube to another area of the tank needing to be cleaned. The python really does a very nice job (I mean that is how it was designed) on gravel substrates.

 

[loachman]

I like sand alot more.

Pros:
Easier to clean thoroughly
I perfer the look
Easy on bottom dwelling fish
Is required to see natural behavior of some bottom dwellers (horsefaced loaches, kuhli loaches, some cichlids, etc.)
Good for "nest" building fish.
Can be VERY cheap.

Cons:
Possibility of anaerobic air pockets.
Requires different cleaning hoses (small diameters...sometime you can just remove the "cup" from a gravel vac though).
Less color variety unless you look harder.
Can mess with filter components if intakes are low.
Depending on fish selection, keeping plants rooted can be hard (the fish can dig in it and up root plants).
Shows dirt more readily.
Cannot be used with undergravel filters.

 

[darknirvana217]

I like sand personally. i find it easier to clean, gives your tank a more natural look, and provides a soft bottom for the fish. I actually have a product called eco-complete that is like sand, and has a heterotrophic bacteria that converts fish waste into plant food. my chameleon whiptail plecos really enjoy the sand because thay can dig easier and bury themselves in it. To sizzla 01 I wouldn't suggest mixing them unless w=you have tetras. All of my larger fish sturred it up and it ended up blending together and looking like a mess. This was doen by my catfish mainly, the plecos and a woodcat.I like sand personally. i find it easier to clean, gives your tank a more natural look, and provides a soft bottom for the fish. I actually have a product called eco-complete that is like sand, and has a heterotrophic bacteria that converts fish waste into plant food. my chameleon whiptail plecos really enjoy the sand because thay can dig easier and bury themselves in it. To sizzla 01 I wouldn't suggest mixing them unless w=you have tetras. All of my larger fish sturred it up and it ended up blending together and looking like a mess. This was doen by my catfish mainly, the plecos and a woodcat.

 

[mark.w.jones]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...;hl=gravel+sand

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...;hl=gravel+sand

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...;hl=gravel+sand

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...;hl=gravel+sand

This has been asked many times before, it's really down to personal preference as well as what type of tank you have or want.

 

[Sammy78]

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...;hl=gravel+sand

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...;hl=gravel+sand

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...;hl=gravel+sand

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showto...;hl=gravel+sand

This has been asked many times before, it's really down to personal preference as well as what type of tank you have or want.

Thanks for the info everyone right now I think I will stay with gravel since I am use to the cleanup process, but I think once I do upgrade I am going to try the sand since I really like the way a tank looks setup with it.

Is there a sand to avoid or might be bad for fish? I see in some of the links people talking about play sand, is that what most of you guys are using or is there other varieties that are recommended?

 

[sizzla01]

Cheers Nirvana,

I neva thought that the fish might mix it together...I can just imagine my Bristlenose having a field day and causing a rite mess.

I'll take a look at that "eco-complete" stuff in future.

 

[mp7125]

I have sand in my 125lt tank. The bottom feeders and even the guppies love it. But the biggest drawback is the unsightly fish poo. I've now resorted to cleaning with a net before the weekly water change. It does add more time and I might go to gravel in the future.