Sand or gravel whats best?

[em1981ma]

42GALLON BLACK MOOR
Calico fantail


27GALLON 4MINNOWS
3DANIOS
3HILLSTREAM LOACH


I currently have blue gravel at the bottom of both my tanks but my black moor once got a piece of gravel stuck in his mouth i got it out without too much stress to him but it stressed me out. As i feel lucky that i was in doors and saw it and that had i not been he may have died. Is sand better than gravel? i saw some pics on here and it looked nice but how easy is it to clean and would my hill stream loach like it?

 

[BBradbury]

Bottom Material

Hello em...

I use gravel. But, it's pea-size and polished. It's easy to clean and there's plenty of water circulation for the plant roots. It can't compact and create water problems. And, it looks good.

B

 

[em1981ma]

Hell em...

I use gravel. But, it's pea-size and polished. It's easy to clean and there's plenty of water circulation for the plant roots. It can't compact and create water problems. And, it looks good.

B

My gravel is pea sized but my fish still got it stuck in his mouth. Can sand create water quality problems. I think il stick to gravel i dont have real plants i like a very bright colourful look so no natural stuff is like this so all plastic and fake plants.

 

[Fresh2o]

If you are thinking about going with sand, do NOT get play sand. It takes forever to rinse and in most cases will still cloud the tank. A few water changes should remedy that. Inconsistent grain size and prone to getting caught in the water column if disturbed. Not a good thing for filter impellers.
Pool filter sand is a better choice as far as sand goes. Processed for a consistent grain size, it settles quickly when disturbed.
Debris tends to stay on the surface of most sand substrates. While it may be visually displeasing, at least you can see what's there. Debris will often fall between the grains of gravel. You can leave it there or vacuum it out.
I've had goldfish and sand and had no problems. The goldfish tend to pickup the sand while eating and spit out the grains while "chewing". Sand tend to shift so even if I've left it looking disheveled after maintenance, the goldfish do a great job leveling it out in their quest for food.

 

[BBradbury]

Gravel or Sand

My gravel is pea sized but my fish still got it stuck in his mouth. Can sand create water quality problems. I think il stick to gravel i dont have real plants i like a very bright colourful look so no natural stuff is like this so all plastic and fake plants.

Hello again em...

Years ago, I was told to avoid sand as a substrate. The reason was it can compact in areas or create voids and is difficult to clean which can cause water problems. I was starting in the hobby and was told to keep things easy, so I went with gravel. If you're a good water changer, then just about anything that's made specifically for use in an aquarium is fine.

B

 

[CCXGT]

Can I just say.. Play Sand isn't a nightmare at all, it clouds the tank just as much as any other substrate would.
It is perfectly fine to clean and actually is a little easier since it is so compact, the dirt doesn't fall through the gaps in it like other larger particle sands may.


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[Swiler123]

i am just now switching to crushed coral on my tanks


Sent from my iPhone using Aquarium Advice

 

[flitabout]

I have gravel and playsand and both work fine for me. And no it wasn't a nightmare. Might be because I have it dirted??? IDK?

 

[em1981ma]

I think il leave gravel in my goldie tank. But i think sand might look good in my hillstream loach tank and since minnows and danios have a relatively low bioload i think it might be easier to clean up leftover food as tank needs to be pretty pristine for the hillstream loach. I wonder if on sand they would eat more of the algae wafer as sand is flatter. il look for pool filter sand.

 

[em1981ma]

Also my hill stream loach tend to just sit on the rocks and the sides of the tank i wonder if having sand they would get around the tank alittle easier as they would beable to go alond the floor more comfortably with sand than gravel

 

[em1981ma]

Also anyone know of a good gravel cleaner as i brought one but its useless cost around a tenner a siphon tube one it doesnt do anything or pump the waste up probably.i have taken to just stirring up the gravel when i do a water change so the waste has a chance to go up the filter tubes and i sometimes use my net to grab waste.

 

[em1981ma]

I clean my ornaments every weekly water change but i only get the gravel out for a rinse clean once a month if that