Sand vs. Gravel

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Chels10117

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Jun 6, 2015
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Location
Kingman, AZ
Hey guys,

People have probably asked this question before but I want your guys opinion. What do you guys think of sand or gravel? I have always had gravel in my fish tanks. I tried sand once with no luck. I think a tank with white sand would be pretty smart looking. Which is better? What do you guys think? What are the perks/drawbacks of either? Is sand harder to maintain? How do you even clean the sand?

Thanks!

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I actually find sand much easier to clean than gravel.

With gravel, waste seeps down into it so you have to vacuum it all out, potentially missing some, and harboring nitrates.

With sand, all the waste sits right on top, just hover your siphon right above the sand and it will pick up all up.

All my tanks are sand except 1 for this reason. Not to mention the overall cosmetics look better IMO.

It's also much easier on bottom feeders and ADF because it's smoother than gravel.

Caleb
 
I've had both and prefer sand. As above, just hover syphon above and it cleans all dirt off. I changed as wanted adf and corys which prefer the sand. Imo, sand looks nicer too

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I've had both. Sand is easier and can be used with live plants. When I started my tank I didn't plan for live plants. With sand all I needed to do was to add root tabs to grow plants.
 
Thanks for the replys. I have heard sand is much better. I'm debating on weather or not to set up my other tank. I bought it used and it came with nice gravel but I might get some sand for it.

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The only problem with pool filter sand is you take a chance with silicates and diotoms. I always reccomend diamond blasting sand. Cheap and very good looking, just make sure to get under oiled version

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I used pool filter sand in one of mine and loved it. Just rinse, rinse and rinse again. Diatoms are common in all new tanks anyway.
 
I have black sand now in all my tanks. The black makes the fish and plant colors pop, especially the cardinal tetras.


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I changed to pool filter sand recently and love the look. My pleco loves it as well, and digs in it often.

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Yup pool filter sand , Inexpensive , plants love it , fish love it and it looks great.

On sale near me $5 for 50 lbs. , cant beat that.
 
Yup pool filter sand , Inexpensive , plants love it , fish love it and it looks great.

On sale near me $5 for 50 lbs. , cant beat that.


I just changed the substrate in my 75g. $20 for 100 pounds of black diamond blasting sand at Tractor Supply. If you want black sand you can't beat that.


Caleb
 
Yeah coolguy , heard good things about using that as well. Can't wait we have a new Tractor Supply opening soon ; love that place!
 
Hey guys,

People have probably asked this question before but I want your guys opinion. What do you guys think of sand or gravel? I have always had gravel in my fish tanks. I tried sand once with no luck. I think a tank with white sand would be pretty smart looking. Which is better? What do you guys think? What are the perks/drawbacks of either? Is sand harder to maintain? How do you even clean the sand?

Thanks!

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Aquarium Advice mobile app


Dirt for planting :D !
 
I'm switching over to black sand as we speak. I tried it in one tank and now I have to do the others!


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The only time I recommend Gravel is if you need it to hold soil down in a Walstad tank. Otherwise I recommend sand. Less of a fish waste trap and way more surface area for bacteria. You could get some nice black sand from Seachem for plants but pool sand is just fine. Sometimes you can get white pool sand but sometimes it's just brown. Aragonite sand is a nice white and Dolomite sand is black. Both buffer your PH and GH. GH is important to plants :D
 
Looks like I'm on my own :)

More of a fan of gravel. I like the contrast I can get although I'm sure it could be done with sand as well.

I've swapped a small tank over to bare bottom with floating plants. Easy to clean each week.
 
If EcoComplete is considered a "gravel" then that's what I use for my planted tank. Would use one of the more expensive Aqua-soils if not for the cost. For non-planted, I've used sand for the reasons mentioned above.


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If EcoComplete is considered a "gravel" then that's what I use for my planted tank. Would use one of the more expensive Aqua-soils if not for the cost. For non-planted, I've used sand for the reasons mentioned above.


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+1. If you like dark substrate EcoComplete is the way to go IMO. It looks nice, it holds plants in well, and it holds in nutrients from root tabs longer. Great product!!


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