Gravel or Sand

[blindskate]

The other day at my job a couple was purchasing everything for a saltwater tank and then he handed me two 18 pound bags of gravel...

I had never heard of anyone using gravel for a salt tank.

So..my question is...

Can you use gravel in a salt tank? Or..is sand/live sand required.

 

[ccCapt]

You could, but it will just be a giant trap to accumulate all kinds of crap. Sand is the way to go.

 

[roka64]

I agree, it would be just the same as using CC.

 

[Ziggy953]

Sand....gravel is for FW

 

[blindskate]

thought so...i wanted to tell him but...he spent over $450 on filters...gravel..SALTwater...so why the heck buy gravel?...iono. i wouldnt buy gravel for salt...i think it would look dumb anyways

 

[melosu58]

You could, but it will just be a giant trap to accumulate all kinds of crap. Sand is the way to go.

I totally agree

 

[lamaseta17]

yeah i had crushed coral and switched to sand because all that junk would go deep into the cc..

 

[catmel]

if you only have a very thin layer of crushed coral in the bottom of a tank eg: 10# in a 55 gal.. would it still cause problems? Im debating on weither to get rid of it now before I put rock or anything else in..

 

[fijiwigi]

if you only have a very thin layer of crushed coral in the bottom of a tank eg: 10# in a 55 gal.. would it still cause problems? Im debating on weither to get rid of it now before I put rock or anything else in..

Personally if it was me I would ditch the crushed coral even if its a small amount. but there are people who use it with success. However if you look at 1000 reef aquariums I would be willing to bet 900 or more of them use a fine sand. I tend to lean towards the majority vote.

 

[melosu58]

The problem with CC is that it traps debris thus causing problems with excessive nutrients. Your clean up crew has a harder time getting to it than with sand.

 

[loyalrogue]

Gravel and CC are very "oldschool" SW fishkeeping methods usually used in conjunction with an undergravel filter so you don't have the detrius buildup that you would expect.

I was at a retiree's house last week, who's been keeping SW fish since he was 14, and for the life of me I could not get him to understand that most SW aquarists nowadays don't use undergravel filters.
He was using a mixture of large CC and shells.
He also doesn't use any LR, or do any water changes (and proud of it).
"Young man, I've been doing it this way for 50 years without a problem so I don't see why I would change now"
I was on the clock so I really didn't have time to explain the merits of current methods and practices, but I did give him a link to this forum as well as a couple others so he could catch up on a few decades of reading. lol

Things have come a long way for SW aquaria in the last 30+ years since I first went diving with a slurpgun as a kid.
You hardly ever see a SW tank running a canister filter anymore either, but they're still for sale and some aquarists still use them.
Bottom line is just because we believe we are doing it the "right" way doesn't mean that someone else isn't going to have success using another method.

 

[roka64]

I'll tell you from my personal experience. I had a mixture of CC and sand. I decided after about 3 months the CC has to go. It was a huge overhaul, since I didn't want to lose my biological filtration, I has to separate the sand from the CC with fish in the tank! I think the initial look of the white CC is very captivating, but it is a real pain to keep it that way. CC will also limit your clean up crew. Nassis and gobies and other sand stirrers will not be effective at cleaning.

 

[catmel]

Thanks so much for your help. What do you guys think is the best sand to use?

and too.. should be concerned that my tank is REALLY cloudy after taking out the CC? dumb question lol.. I just didnt know how long it would take to settle / clear up or if I should be concerned...

thanks again for your help

 

[neilanh]

Bottom line is just because we believe we are doing it the "right" way doesn't mean that someone else isn't going to have success using another method.

That's exactly right. There are always going to be "new" ways of doing things. They may or may not be better than the "old school" way. But, the fact remains that some older tried and true methods have nothing wrong with them.