Sand or Gravel

[Velksfish]

Just curious what is better Sand or Gravel, I currently have Gravel in my tank.
And how hard would it be to switch out the gravel and put sand in ?

I have a 36 Gallow Bow Front tank. I have Cory cats and I have read that they prefer sand but do fine with gravel...

I guess I just want to know which is best for the tank and the fish....and easiest to clean....

 

[nacho1cheese]

sand. waste sticks at the top and plants anchor themselves better

 

[Bbarb27]

Sand

I switched my gravel tanks to sand and all of my newer tanks have sand substrate. I prefer it because it's easier to keep clean. Most of my tanks have corys and they seem to love the sand.

It's not hard to switch from gravel to sand. Just make sure you rinse your sand really well before putting it the tank. When you think you've rinsed it enough, rinse it again.

 

[Velksfish]

Do i need to remove the fish before changing it ?

 

[Jesse.R]

Just curious what is better Sand or Gravel, I currently have Gravel in my tank.
And how hard would it be to switch out the gravel and put sand in ?

I have a 36 Gallow Bow Front tank. I have Cory cats and I have read that they prefer sand but do fine with gravel...

I guess I just want to know which is best for the tank and the fish....and easiest to clean....

Do not put sand in! I was thinking of it when I started my tank but sand is really hard to clean since it gets sucked up the gravel cleaner. I would stick with what u have now

 

[Velksfish]

Thanks for the info jesseR. I was wondering about that. And was just thinking about switching if it is better for the fish.

 

[nacho1cheese]

not one grain of sand has gotten in my filter. the only time my sand is moved around is when I siphon it but it doesn't get sucked and my filters are off. cleaning wise it's better than having to dig your siphon into the gravel to get the poop that's at the bottom of the tank. that's the biggest difference between the two Id say. also it just looks much better. I wouldn't leave the fish in the tank while changing it though. it he's pretty cloudy when you first put it in

 

[TankMan]

I have PFS, and it is beautiful. Cloudy for probably a few hours, then it settled. Not a grain of sand (to my knowledge) has been sucked into my filters.

Any option is simply for aesthetic appeal. Neither is 'better' than the other.
•Unless you're talking about capability with certain species of fish.

 

[Velksfish]

So if i do decide to change do i need to empty the tank of water?

 

[Velksfish]

I just want to have all the knowledge i can have if I do decide to make the switch. So if I do make the switch I can do it right and not harm my fish. And so i do all the right steps in changing. Thanks everyone for the advice as of now. Keep it coming. Very helpful so far.

 

[jerrod938]

Personal taste. I had sand in my tank for about a year. I thought it would look nice and all, but I was a pain for me maintain and clean. Kept getting a thick algae buildup causing it to clump together and just turned into a nightmare for me to take care of. I shitched over to a medium grade rounded river pebble rather than the smaller jagged edged gravel as I have several bottom fedders. I do have all live plants and they seem to be spreading and doing better than when they were in the sand. Like I said though...It's a personal preference.

 

[mazie51109]

I have recently switched all of my tanks to Quickrete play sand (purchased at Lowe', $3.68 for a 50lb bag!). It looks much more natural than the gravel and my fish really enjoy it. To switch to sand, I completely emptied the tank, removed all gravel and water, and poured in about 2-3 inches of sand. Slowly fill the aquarium. It may take 24-48 hours for the sand to completely settle. If you plan on putting plants in, I recommend you do it while the aquarium is still cloudy so you don't redisturb the sand. Good luck!

 

[Velksfish]

I'm seriously thinking about switching but a little nervous about doing to making sure I do it right so i don't harm my fish or tank. Every time I see a picture of someone aquarium with sand it just make me want to do it more. I like the gravel I just think the sand looks so much nicer.

But I want to make sure it isn't a pain in the buns to clean and take care of.

 

[Fresh2o]

Personal taste. I had sand in my tank for about a year. I thought it would look nice and all, but I was a pain for me maintain and clean. Kept getting a thick algae buildup causing it to clump together and just turned into a nightmare for me to take care of. I shitched over to a medium grade rounded river pebble rather than the smaller jagged edged gravel as I have several bottom fedders. I do have all live plants and they seem to be spreading and doing better than when they were in the sand. Like I said though...It's a personal preference.

+1
I started with standard brown aquarium gravel then switched to play sand. Took forever to clean initially (do it in small batches) and once it was in a few large PWCs helped. It looked nice and natural, however, it made my Gold Tetras appeared washed out. I always sucked up a little sand during water changes if I wasn't being careful. Ended up switching out the sand for black Eco Complete about two years later because I think the darker substrate would make colors pop and I am converting this to a planted tank.

 

[Velksfish]

I would use black or dark sand. I have black (think it is neon gravel) that has some green/pink/yellow pieces thru out it. I like the darker substrate.