Sand Or Gravel ?

[martypants16]

I have a tropical setup about 6 months old, doing well with a gravel substrate. Can anyone tell me the advantages and disadvantages of both types of material? I know some fish like to bury in the sand but how easy is it to clean etc?

 

[rdd1952]

I prefer sand but besides maintanence, it also depends on the type fish you have. Almost all bottom dwellers prefer sand. Sharp substrates can damage their barbels which they need to find food. As for cleaning, sand is generally much easier to keep clean as the waste lays on top making it very easy to vacuum up. With gravel, the waste falls down between the gravel and is difficult to vacuum, leading to problems later as the waste starts to break down and decay. The bigger the gravel, the harder it is to clean as there are more/larger voids between the grains/stones.

 

[beta 1991]

I agree with rdd, sand can be a lot easier to take care of, and that most bottom dweller fish enjoy sand better than gravel . However, some other fish however, will take in to much sand through their gills. An example would be a goldfish.

 

[Sly_Marbo]

I've been thinking of using sand also, do you know of any other fish that sand would be a problem for? The sand wouldn't effect plant growth at all would it?

 

[nmonks]

Gravel

Advantages

- Cheap and readily available
- Dark colours complement many fish
- Dark colours don't encourage colour-changing fish to "fade"
- Works with an undergravel filter
- Chemically inert

Disadvantages

- Not a good rooting medium for plants
- Wears down barbels of catfish
- Flatfish, spiny eels, etc. cannot dig in its properly
- Eartheating cichlids, gobies, etc., cannot forage so well
- Boring... everyone has it!

Sand

Advantages

- Fish love to dig, burrow, forage in it
- Doesn't scratch soft-skinned fish like spiny eels
- Tends to stay relatively clean (faeces don't sink in)
- Plants do really well in compost/laterite topped with sand
- Calcaerous sands can buffer the alkalinity of tanks (i.e., coral and limey river sand)

Disadvantages

- Not always readily available, can be expensive
- Light colour doesn't always show up subtly coloured fish like killis and tetras well
- Light colours tend to cause colour-chaning fish to "fade" (unless there is shade, i.e., plants / rocks)
- Cannot be used with an undergravel filter
- Only some varieties are chemically neutral (i.e., silica sands)

Hope this helps,

Neale

 

[osteoporoosi]

I use sanblowing-sand from the hardwarestore. Cheap, but it has to be rinsed thoroughly. The best substrate for plants and bottom feeders!

 

[zoeae]

Won't sand get sucked up into the vaccum when cleaning it?

 

[nmonks]

Oddly enough, no.

Because the sand keeps the faeces and decaying plant leaves on the top, it's easy to siphon the stuff up without stirring the sand. Even if you do, it's easy to stir the water in the bucket, drain off the water and the organic particles, and return the clean sand to the tank.

With a sandy aquarium, you can rely on catfish and burrowing fish like spiny eels to keep the sand nice and clean, and the plants will oxygenate the sand to a certain degree as well. In a tank without (rooted) plants, you only need as much sand as the fish can burrow into, so the risk of anaerobic or dirty areas developing is close to zero.

Cheers,

Neale

Won't sand get sucked up into the vaccum when cleaning it?

 

[mills0372]

Hi everyone, i'm a newbie...first post.
The conversation on sand vs gravel is great.... has anyone tried both... maybe some sections with sand, some gravel? Does it work? Any thoughts?

 

[osteoporoosi]

They will eventually mix up, gravel gets ontop of the sand. Gravel and sand together tend to block the whole bottom.

 

[PHR0STEE]

Hmm I have never had sand... And sounds great... Thanks for the help nmonk...

 

[zoeae]

So how do I set up a brand new tank with a sand substrate that will be benificial for plant growth? I am interested in this and I have no experience with sand bottom or setting up a tank with sand.

Won't the sand get really disturbed when adding water to the tank for the first time? If so, how long does it take to settle?

How do you wash sand initially?

Which kind of sand is the best for a freshwater tank, and how much do you need for a 10 gallon tank? How much for a 20 gallon tank?

What else should you use with sand bottom to provide the best substrate for a planted tank?

Oh yes, how many plants and what kinds are best for a beginner working in this substrate? Sorry that may be a little off the subject.

 

[nmonks]

I've done this two ways. One time with fine gravel and laterite at the bottom, then a gravel tidy, and then the sand. The second time (what I have now) I used pond compost and then covered it up with sand. Both ways seem to work well.

An undertank or in-gravel heater is the best things if you can find one. Undertank heaters are sold in reptile shops for use with vivaria; most work fine with fish tanks. Thermal currents produce a very slight oxygenation of the substrate. Plant roots will do the same thing, as will burrowing fish.

Yes, the sand gets disturbed, but it settles down quickly. I don't bother cleaning the sand particularly well before using it. The filter will do that, and you can net out any floating bits of wood and silt.

In an unplanted tank, you only need enough sand for the fish to dig into. I'd guess 1-2 cm. Rooted planted need more, 4 cm of compost or laterite/gravel mix, topped with 3-6 cm of sand.

Other people may recommend rooted plants that do well for beginners, but I'd include on my list Vallisneria spiralis, Aponogeton crispus, Crinum thaianum, Cryptocoryne wendtii, and Nymphaea stellata. I've kept all of these in tanks with moderate lighting and been pleased with their growth.

Cheers,

Neake

 

[hobo_joe]

i really liek the idea of san for a bottem but im worried about my other fish that aren't on the bottom like my balla sharks. im worried that they will get the sand in their gills if the catfish stir it up is this guna be a problem?

 

[sk_haider]

If you have a tank with gravel can you convert to sand or just decrease the about of gravel? Would this hurt the ego system in the tank?