ECCO_
Fish Crazy
I was wondering wich is best.
Price wise and use wise.
Price wise and use wise.
Sand Or Gravel?
- Thread starter ECCO_
- Start date
Neither of them are "best" per say, however each one does have it advantages and disadvantages.
IMO sand looks much better in any aquarium, it gives the aquarium a more natural look, aswell some species of fish such as catfish and loaches have long whiskers on their mouths (I can't remember the exact name of these things, something like barbels). The sand is much softer as they use these whisker things to find food and with gravel they can cut, break or damage them.
Of course, a larger grade of gravel may be benificial if you have livebearers so that the babies can hide between the pieces and not be eaten.
IMO sand looks much better in any aquarium, it gives the aquarium a more natural look, aswell some species of fish such as catfish and loaches have long whiskers on their mouths (I can't remember the exact name of these things, something like barbels). The sand is much softer as they use these whisker things to find food and with gravel they can cut, break or damage them.
Of course, a larger grade of gravel may be benificial if you have livebearers so that the babies can hide between the pieces and not be eaten.
OP
OP
ECCO_
Fish Crazy
Good point....
Which is easyer to keep clean?
Also, which is cheaper?
Which is easyer to keep clean?
Also, which is cheaper?
three-fingers
Fish Connoisseur
I find sand much easier to maintain, but that just because of the way I do it.
I used a less bright more natural looking playsand so fish poop doesn't show up on it, and I have an army of hundreds of MTS churning it over, so any any food/poop/dead leaves get dragged into the sand. The MTS eat what they can, and the roots of my plants absorb the rest. I've never once cleaned my substrate since I set up my tank.
Look wise I prefer a mixture of sand and gravel at parts of the tank though, as I notice many rivers and streams have a mixture themselves.
I basically I just went to the local burn and tried to replicate what I saw in my tank.
If you get bright playsand, poop is going to show up really easy on it - great if your into regularly vacuuming the aquarium, but you cant use a gravel vac like you can on gravel.
Though I would still go for even bright sand over gravel, for fish like tetras, it doesn't make a difference, but for pretty much all bottom dwelling fish It makes a huge difference. My angelfish, ram and zebra danios even appreciate it too, sifting through it for food every now and then.
Much easier to grow plants in too IME.
I used a less bright more natural looking playsand so fish poop doesn't show up on it, and I have an army of hundreds of MTS churning it over, so any any food/poop/dead leaves get dragged into the sand. The MTS eat what they can, and the roots of my plants absorb the rest. I've never once cleaned my substrate since I set up my tank.
Look wise I prefer a mixture of sand and gravel at parts of the tank though, as I notice many rivers and streams have a mixture themselves.
I basically I just went to the local burn and tried to replicate what I saw in my tank.
If you get bright playsand, poop is going to show up really easy on it - great if your into regularly vacuuming the aquarium, but you cant use a gravel vac like you can on gravel.
Though I would still go for even bright sand over gravel, for fish like tetras, it doesn't make a difference, but for pretty much all bottom dwelling fish It makes a huge difference. My angelfish, ram and zebra danios even appreciate it too, sifting through it for food every now and then.
Much easier to grow plants in too IME.
kpintheshed
Fish Herder
well i have normal sand and the poo stands out alot and is harder to clean if you do get sand make sure you keep on top or do what three fingers does. i also had gravel when i first started i personal find gravel much easyier to clean as you just use a gravel vac but it looks less natural. if you do get gravel black is a good opotion it looks more natural and simple than mixed gravel e.g green,blue white and black which looks quite good but after awhile your notice a simple plain colour looks better and black looks cleaner.
what is MTS? (some kind of snail?)
what is MTS? (some kind of snail?)
three-fingers
Fish Connoisseur
Yep, malaysian trumpet snail 
. There's a few different types too choose from if it matters to you too.
They breed like crazy, but don't eat plants and do a very good service to the tank.
Plus the only time you will ever see them is if you get up at 2am to look at the aquarium, they spend the day in the sand
.
. There's a few different types too choose from if it matters to you too.They breed like crazy, but don't eat plants and do a very good service to the tank.
Plus the only time you will ever see them is if you get up at 2am to look at the aquarium, they spend the day in the sand
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