Gravel Or Sand?

[Tiny7]

Bare with anit long joined...!!
 
 
 
Setting up a a new tank 100lt. My plan for the tank is just a mixed tank of smaller fish terta/barbs/few little bottom feeder ect and fancey a heavly planted tank this time. But after reading throw this got me thinking about substate i was just going too go with gravel as always (Even ordered a UGF).. But the thing is iam a bit pulled towards sand now looks nice and natural and thats all i like a tanks they have too be/look natural...
 
 
Whats the Pro's and Con's of both substrate

 

[fm1978]

Sand, I think, is a bit more natural looking.

One of the 1st things you mentioned were bottom feeders - if you mean corydoras, then sand is the best choice for them. Gravel can work but it has to be the right kind, smooth with no jaggyness at all. Corys sift through substrate and their barbels can become damages with rough, jagged gravel. Also they can filter sand through their gills, no so with gravel.

Why not try a mixture, perhaps a third gravel two thirds sand if you'd like to try both and experiment with planting etc?

The pros and cons are surprisingly subjective...some swear by sand, others, gravel and often for different reasons...

 

[Tiny7]

Can you use both sand and gravel together? Thought it would compact to tight? But i agree looks more natrual and thats what i like in a set up just plain nothing but plants and bit of rock and wood.....

 

[fm1978]

Can you use both sand and gravel together? Thought it would compact to tight? But i agree looks more natrual and thats what i like in a set up just plain nothing but plants and bit of rock and wood.....

Sorry, I should have been more specific, I meant a third and two thirds from left to right as opposed to one on top of the other.

If you are planning to go heavy planted you probably should put a layer of your chosen plant-specific substrate underneath both sand and gravel, if that's the way you decide to go.

 

[HHH]

I would do sand for the bottem dwellers and vuase its a planted tank. I got a big round type of river gravel for my planted tank and i regret it so much. It makes it really hard to plant new plants cuase its so big and compact as compared to sand. You can also have a gravel sand mix but overall i find it easier to plant plants in sand.

 

[Stone]

I used sand. It really looked better in my tank then gravel.

 

[ncguppy830]

playsand, cheap and gives a natural look.

 

[Tiny7]

Well just back from the fish shop. Went for 3mm pea gravel in the end

 

[tmoney7]

I just got back from the fish store as well!  i got sand also, but i had to get black sand because they did not have any normal non colored sand left and i didn't want to wait

 

[Tiny7]

They had some diffrent sand at mine. But TBH i got a little lost and bit of of my dept so went with what i know and has always worked (Better safe than sorry lol). Got around 5 lt of his estabished tank water  and a few squeezes of his filter spoonge in too help mine on its way as its a new set up.......
 
 
So UGF in, An hour of siving gravel in the garden then gravel in, Water and everything turned on and running So...................
 
 
(Just the wait now...!!)
 
 
 
Thanks for everyones comments

 

[Lizzard111]

If you're thinking about heavy planted aquarium I would suggest substrate like Oliver Knott. I have 66 gallons (300L) and my light is 0.5 per liter ( 1W/1L is recommended). Still my plants love it and they grow nice and slow. I used to spend fortune on plants (in UK they're not cheap) which is why I decided to spend more on good substrate (there's many out there but I wouldn't save on them).
I also have sand on my curved glass (bullet shaped tank) and my Khuli loaches love it, they swimm there all day,before I havent seen them for few days.
Don't forget that in dark gravel/substrate fish feel safer so they will hide less.