Sand or gravel?

[tran37]

Hi, I'm setting up a new 10g tank soon and not sure to go with sand or gravel. Any advantages that one has over the other? Any help would be great

 

[Tigroscr]

Sand is better IMO.
1. It's easier to clean fish poo stays on top easy to vacuum with python while doing water changes.
2. I have mostly cichlids and they seem to like it better than the gravel.
3. IMO it looks better.

 

[paytertot]

Sand is easier to clean imo and I love the look. Idk if you want it planted but I also like sand for that. It holds in nutrients better I think. I just like sand lol

 

[Coursair]

I've always had gravel. I love my sand tanks and won't go back.

 

[tran37]

Then sand it is. Thanks for your help

 

[christine2012]

Another vote for sand for the reasons above.

 

[Chiroptera]

Sand. And there's so many different kinds of it, too. A lot of fish prefer it over gravel, because most waterways and bodies have sand at the bottom primarily from all the ground up stones. It's so attractive and natural. It all depends on what kind of theme you want in the tank, though.

 

[Skingee]

Well in glad I stumbled into this thread before I started filling my upcoming tank. I think I'm switching to sand now

 

[tran37]

What kind of sand would you guys recommend using?

 

[paytertot]

What kind of sand would you guys recommend using?

I've only used pfs so far.

 

[Chiroptera]

The sand they sell at the pet stores is a little more expensive, but a lot of times they'll have a decent color variety. I recently went on a quest to find one I liked. There's a nice gold sand I was looking at for $25USD for 20 pounds.. Pretty expensive compared to other types, but I loved the consistency and color. It all really depends on what you're looking for.

 

[axpspicoli]

Sand. I like the natural looking aquariums and sand is the way to go if you want to get a nice natural look. A pain in the butt to switch over from gravel but 100% worth it IMO.

 

[Bubbles0oO]

I vote for sand, its easy to clean and you don't have to worry about cleaning every single square inch. Pool filter sand is a lot cheaper than pet store sand. My local price difference is $20 for 20 lbs of pet store sand ( only had black and white) , or $20 for 100 lbs. ( sold in 50 lbs bags)
The only negative to PFS is that you usually only have white or a grayish black
Heres a pic of some of my tanks with the 100 lbs of sand spread out into them

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View attachment 100233

 

[tran37]

That looks great. Thanks for your help. I went ahead and got some black sand. Looks amazing

 

[Bubbles0oO]

Cool! Have fun ^_^

 

[Samzter]

Yeah, sand gives a more natural look to a tank, plus it's easier to clean