Sand or gravel for Oscar?

[ddiienno]

Any experience with either? Can't decide on substrate here.

 

[Bichir Bro]

I'd go with sand over gravel personally...

 

[dylan p]

Sand is a lot easier to clean. Gravel collects uneaten food and poop that turn into nitrates and phosphate + sand has more surface area for bb and works as a natural filter as long as your not disturbing the sand bed to much


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[ImACoolguy]

Sand! Sand! Sand!


Caleb

 

[mikem691]

If Oscars move substrate like my hybrid I would do a thin layer of which ever you like best. With only a thin layer its easy to clean either. The only disadvantage with sand in this case is the Oscar spitting sand into the filter intake and stalling the impeller. About once a week I get home from work with a stalled filter. No big deal because I run 3 filters but its just a pain to have to clean it out on the fishes terms and not mine.

 

[TMRC Exotics]

+1 to mike. Cichlids take in sand and swim away spitting it out. May not be a problem, especially with a prefilter. I like sand better but get ready for lots of fish induced aquascaping. My Oscar used to clean out a burrow all the way to the glass and sleep in it.