Sand vs gravel!?

[BigJim]

If you're looking for really white sand, try Quickrete Medium sand. I'm pretty sure it's the same thing as PFS, but it's sold in 50lb bags at Home Depot.

 

[Goxgetxfat]

I use Gravel. I, personally, already think tanks in general require a lot of maintence. I like the low maintence and easy cleansing proccess as well. Plus, I love my tank to be colorful like my fish. I've seen people use sand successfully, but it's really not my style. Plus, I have some crawlers (Before, at least) and they seem to be able to crawl better on gravel than sand.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

I don't find sand to be any more of a maintenance issue than gravel, in fact it cleans slightly easier as the dirt just lifts off the top! With gravel you have to get down deep to clean out all the muck that has fallen down to the bottom.

One issue however, is that I've broken a few Hydor Ario bubblers through them getting clogged with sand (they are the type where the motor is underwater too). I could of course solve that problem by having an external air pump, but I've found them, without exception to be far too noisy for our living room setup, so the tank now goes without bubbles

 

[Fishguy2727]

What air pumps have you tried? Good ones will be less noisy than the bubbles they create.

 

[Tabbykat9698]

I have sand in the Cichlid tank and I think it looks freakin awesome! But in the planted Dwarf Puffer tank I have gravel. Oh and sand in the SW tank too lol. But anyway I think sand looks better.

 

[bucsnut79]

Great topic, I was going to ask the same thing as I am starting the process of setting up my 110 gallon. I think I am now convinced that I am going to go with sand, so thanks to all for their input.

I was curious as to how much I will need to cover a 48" x 18" area about an inch to an inch and a half deep?

 

[Fishguy2727]

I would do about 90 pounds.

 

[Mark Hewitt]

What air pumps have you tried? Good ones will be less noisy than the bubbles they create.

There was an Elite pump which sounded more like a pnumatic drill than an air pump!
Then I tried a TetraTec APS pump which is supposed to be the quietest on the market and it was quieter than the Elite but it was still too loud for a living room situation.

I might try again but by putting the air pump inside the cabinet.

 

[strokinbyeu]

Great topic, I was going to ask the same thing as I am starting the process of setting up my 110 gallon. I think I am now convinced that I am going to go with sand, so thanks to all for their input.

I was curious as to how much I will need to cover a 48" x 18" area about an inch to an inch and a half deep?

should use 1-1.5 lbs of sand per gal of water. thats therule of thump i was told.

 

[strokinbyeu]

There was an Elite pump which sounded more like a pnumatic drill than an air pump!
Then I tried a TetraTec APS pump which is supposed to be the quietest on the market and it was quieter than the Elite but it was still too loud for a living room situation.

I might try again but by putting the air pump inside the cabinet.

i have an Optima, it has a dial on the top to regulat the flow of air so you dont have to have a bleed off line and valvesto get the rite bubble size and flow you want, and its very quiet. i have it inside my base and i cant here it. my fluval is louder than the air pump. it was a little more pricey but i was going thru pumps about every 2 months and iv had this one for about 6months now and love it

 

[Mark Hewitt]

Strange you say that. I've googled Optima air pumps and they seem to be a rebadged version of Elite air pumps!

 

[strokinbyeu]

idk mine has 1 outlet and a dial on top to ajust the speed of the pump, and it says optima molded into it. i think i got it at pet supplies

 

[DragonFish71]

For the tanks we use air pumps on, we go with the Petco brand ones. Sadly, they have outlasted all the "brand" names we've tried.

 

[MarkA123]

I've used tetra whispers, they last for years, or at least for me they do. I've had the same one for 5 years, not a single problem, and ive been using the newest model for about 6months, love it. Aren't the tetratec ones for deep deep tanks? It says in the description for deep tanks that require more cirrculation than less than 150g tanks, such as ponds etc. There's probably not a difference in the whisper and Petco brand, an airpump is an airpump. Just maybe the whipsaw quieter, I've use aquaculture air pump and it was the same performance as my expensive ones, just louder.

For the tanks we use air pumps on, we go with the Petco brand ones. Sadly, they have outlasted all the "brand" names we've tried.

 

[ajsangel]

sand vs gravel

i just upgraded my 29 gallon tank to a 55 gallon tank and used sand and LOVED it!. the sand i used didn't need to be rinsed and it wouldn't affect pH levels as some can. use a saucer to pour the water on to help with less stirring of the sand. once it settles then turn your filters on otherwise you may ruin your filter cause apparently it can clog it. when you put the sand in, you will get some that will float to the top. take your net and filter it out so it doesn't get into your pump. otherwise.. it's great. waste will be on top of the sand rather than the little crevices that are in the gravel. the fish can eat that up... enjoy!

Hey everyone, im excited to get my 75 gallon started, but have a few questions. Would you prefer sand or gravel, i hear sand is a little trickier to keep clean but is better for your bottom dwellers. I dont plan on having any live plants as of yet. Looking for some good pros and cons, look forward to your replies, Thanks!!