Sand Or Gravel?

[mattlee]

i want sand in my new tank as i have several bottom feeders and want it to be better for them. my only worry is will sand hold down fake plants as well as gravel?

i have nothing in the tank thats really fast and likely to knock them out, yet! but i am looking at getting some rainbows/discus or something of that size to fill my tank....

please help as i need to get cracking.......

 

[JohnRossDele]

Sand; advantages

makes the tank look good
does hold down fake plants
good for bottom feeders
also good for spiny eels i.e anything that will bury in the sand

disadvantages

can get really dirty looking
hard to clean
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Gravel; advantages

makes the tank look good
holds done most ornaments without worry
easy to clean
good for top strata fish

disadvantages

bad for spiny eels and bottom feeder fish
food can get trapped in between gravel and pollute the water (tho this is not the biggest thing to worry about since it is easy to clean)

hope this helps

IMHO it all comes down to the kind of fish you put in the tank. Spiny eels, bottom feeders + gravel is a no~no but gravel with top strata fish is ok

with your tank i would go for sand better for ur fish

 

[mattlee]

Sand; advantages

makes the tank look good
does hold down fake plants
good for bottom feeders
also good for spiny eels i.e anything that will bury in the sand

disadvantages

can get really dirty looking
hard to clean
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gravel; advantages

makes the tank look good
holds done most ornaments without worry
easy to clean
good for top strata fish

disadvantages

bad for spiny eels and bottom feeder fish
food can get trapped in between gravel and pollute the water (tho this is not the biggest thing to worry about since it is easy to clean)

hope this helps

IMHO it all comes down to the kind of fish you put in the tank. Spiny eels, bottom feeders + gravel is a no~no but gravel with top strata fish is ok

with your tank i would go for sand better for ur fish

would really fine gravel be ok? i dont want to clog up my filters with sand as it all settles and dont have anywhere to put fish while its settling too....

 

[Richard22b]

I prefer sand but you can get some really nice fine gravel

 

[mattlee]

I prefer sand but you can get some really nice fine gravel

dont get me wrong i really like sand but as you said there is some really nice fine gravel out there too, which is easier to keep on top of.

 

[VespertineStar]

I'm gonna recommend sand. IMO it's much nicer to look at and, I think, easier to clean than gravel. Haven't once had a problem with it clogging filters. Mine is the natural sand from fish and fins if I have accessed the right memory block.

Also, I put the sand in with the fish in there already. I emptied half the tank and then removed the gravel with the high tech professional device known as a dustpan lol. I then cut a small corner of the sand bag off and put it into the tank doing one corner at a time. It settled almost instantly, didn't need washing and looks very nice.

Matt

 

[Forestpisces]

Argos playsand, £2.75 for 15kg and is easy to clean and looks brill.

Where are people getting these ideas that sand clogs your filter? All my tanks are sand substratee and i've never had a clogged filter

IMO and IME Gravel was harder to clean than sand and tended to be a bit sharp for the fish. Fine gravel is all very well but it can still be quite sharp.

 

[meguro]

Sand just doesn't look right for tropical freshwater. Most of the fish people keep don't come from the beach.

 

[VespertineStar]

Sand just doesn't look right for tropical freshwater. Most of the fish people keep don't come from the beach.

Oh I wouldn't say it doesn't look right; sure it doesn't look as natural as some other substrates but it does look nice. I tend to find gravel looks nice for the first six months or so and then it sort of half gets coated in a bit of algae and loses it's appeal for me. Plus it's really fun to watch fish dig around in sand which also helps to keep it clean.

 

[nmonks]

Then you've never gone paddling in the Amazon! The bottom of the Amazon is largely sand. The Rio Negro is famous for its tea-coloured water flowing over white sand. Stingrays and whiptails for example are fish that have evolved specifically to live not just on the sand, but buried in it. Corydoras catfish plough through the stuff, as will plecs.

There's really no competition: fish much prefer sand. It isn't ideal for all situations, but for bottom dwelling species especially, it's the best.

Cheers, Neale

Sand just doesn't look right for tropical freshwater.

 

[mattlee]

have gone for unipac zambezi which is a mixture of sand and very fine gravel, im sure this will suit all my fish. looks great too thanks for all your advice