Sand Or Gravel

[crackmonkey]

I've had a 50 gallon tank for around 5 months now, and the main fish are six Discus and some bottom feeders. I have gravel but I think sand looks so much better but is it possible to keep bottom feeders in a sand tank? And how do you clean it. Also, can you have coral in tropical tanks as opposed to marine?

 

[Ethos]

6 discus? How can you afford that??? Last time I checked the sheapest discus I could find was $49.99.............also, is your tank over-crowded?
I love discus......if they didn't cost so much I put my hand in a try keeping some....but I'm afraid of one dieing and losing all that money.......one day when I get a real job B)

For you question, I dunno.......

 

[Teelie]

Depends on the kind of bottom dwellers you have but sand is usually easier to keep clean anyways. You can keep some fish with coral in their tank but Discus are about the worst ones to try it with. They need low pH water in the 5-6 range whereas coral will raise the pH to over 8.

Cleaning sand is easy. You just hover the siphon above the sand and the detritus gets sucked up. There's almost none that gets under the sand because there are no gaps for it to sink into like gravel and sand grains are often smaller than the waste so the waste stays on top.

 

[Synirr]

I'd say no to the coral; it's just too risky. They're making some pretty realistic fake coral as tank ornaments these days though, so you could give that a try.

Definitely go for sand if you like the way it looks. Most bottom-feeders like it because it's softer on their tummies, and it's way easier to keep and nicer looking in my opinion

 

[crackmonkey]

6 discus? How can you afford that??? Last time I checked the sheapest discus I could find was $49.99.............also, is your tank over-crowded?
I love discus......if they didn't cost so much I put my hand in a try keeping some....but I'm afraid of one dieing and losing all that money.......one day when I get a real job B)

For you question, I dunno.......

My two Marlboro discus only cost £25 each, and the other four, whatever kind they are only cost £14 each.

 

[crackmonkey]

I'd say no to the coral; it's just too risky. They're making some pretty realistic fake coral as tank ornaments these days though, so you could give that a try.

Definitely go for sand if you like the way it looks. Most bottom-feeders like it because it's softer on their tummies, and it's way easier to keep and nicer looking in my opinion

Yeah, sand looks seems to be better but won't bottom feeders gat a mouth full of sand?

 

[dixaisy930]

I'd definately go with sand...I've hand gravel and sand, and the sand is an easier upkeep. I have kuhli loaches, and a few different botia loaches and they seemed to do better with the sand. Easier for them to root around and find hidden food.

They do suck up a little sand now and then, and spit it out....it's never stopped them from eating food off the ground though.

 

[Angry_Platy]

Go sand. I did the switch from gravel to sand a few weeks ago now and I love it. So much easier to clean, the cories and catfish like it better and it looks heaps better.

 

[crackmonkey]

I'd definately go with sand...I've hand gravel and sand, and the sand is an easier upkeep. I have kuhli loaches, and a few different botia loaches and they seemed to do better with the sand. Easier for them to root around and find hidden food.

They do suck up a little sand now and then, and spit it out....it's never stopped them from eating food off the ground though.

Is it special aquarium sand? Will taking out my gravel not disturb the PH, Nitrate ect... I can just put the sand in while fish are in there?

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

If you have khuli loachs or corys or other similar bottom filter feeders, sand is actually the advised substrate for them as it allows them to filter through the substrate easier and eat and also is less likely to give them damaged barbels/whiskers. Just remember to clean the sand before you put it in, it will make the tank cloudy either way but it should settle within a day or too .

 

[dixaisy930]

I used sandbox sand (found it at a hardware store). I washed it for a good 20 minutes. I took my fish out, and let it all settle before I put them back in. Mine took a few hours to settle.

I've seen colored sand at one of my lfs (it's marketed for betta tanks)...I've been thinking about adding a little to my tanks, to give a little color.

 

[crackmonkey]

Thanks for the help on this everyone.

 

[dirtydogg]

as long as you aren't using an ugf than it shouldn't disrupt the bacteria much, but I would put some of your current gravel back in after the switch just in case. They are discus after all.
and bottom feeders thrive with sand too. In fact many would prefer it.
As for sand, Play sand is cheap and works well, but I can not stress enough, wash it, and then wash it some more.
I've switched 2 tanks from gravel to sand, the first one I used black tahitian sand or something like that from the petstore for about $1 a pound washed it very little and had no cloudiness, the second time I used play sand at $2 for 50 pounds and washed for about 20 minutes and the tank was cloudy for about 3 days. but now they both look great.

 

[fatguppy]

Just switched on a half/half basis. The guppies are in heaven!!!! And to see their little barbels sifting through the sand is so cute!!!

We may go completely sand - haven't decided yet. Depends on how it works when we do a water change. Glad of the advice regarding hovering the siphon above the sand so as not to suck it all up. And I have noticed that the food gets eaten quicker because the fish can actually see it.

I used play sand (or silver sand) which I bought from the local supermarket as children's play sand - it cost me £2 for a bag that would cover the whole fish tank no bother. I washed it, and then added it to a jug and poured it at close quarters onto the bottom - took about 24 hours to clear completely, but water was reasonalby clear within about 20 minutes.

Fish didn't seem to care one way or the other apart from the corys who were digging in there before it had settled!

Personal preference - but i like it!!