Gravel or Sand?

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vanimal

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Does anybody know about how many pounds of sand or gravel I would need to fill a 150 gallon tank??? I don't have the dimensions right now but I will post them tonight. And should I do black sand or black gravel?? Also I heard that sand is better for bottom feeding fish is this true? Thanks everyone!
 
I was getting some advice for setting up my new tank and was suggested to go from gravel to sand. I was told that sand is easier on the bottom feeders because it's more fine. And ideally I need 125 lbs. for my 75G so probably about 250 lbs. for your 150G tank. So I would go with the black sand, it looks more natural etc. etc. etc. Come check out my post and maybe it can help you out a little more, I think the sand vs. gravel stuff is on the first page.

http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/going-from-a-29g-to-75g-help-211230.html
 
Lots of people have bottom dwellers with sensitive barbels in gravel and have no problems. One of my Corydora's suffered barbel erosion on gravel and died eventually. They're thriving on sand and behave much differently. They're visibly happier on sand in my experience.

I think rounded gravel is ok with them, but if you're unable to keep it really clean, then I think you're risking bacterial infections on the barbels (which was my case, I had too many plants to gravel vacuum).
 
Does anybody know about how many pounds of sand or gravel I would need to fill a 150 gallon tank??? I don't have the dimensions right now but I will post them tonight. And should I do black sand or black gravel?? Also I heard that sand is better for bottom feeding fish is this true? Thanks everyone!

For a tank with the standard 150 gallon dimensions, I would recommend doing about 125lbs of sand. Beyond that you're probably just wasting your money and it might start to look awkward. I did about 175lbs of sand in my 180g and it was just perfect.

I would definitely recommend the sand over the gravel. There are a few major benefits for fish and overall it looks a lot nicer. It benefits any fish that use a sifting technique to feed (Firemouths, Geophagus, Pleco), not just a traditional "bottom feeder".
 
Ok I will definitely go for the black sand! Does anybody know where the best place is to buy it?? I'm looking at PETCO and its $15.29 for 20 pounds of sand but if its cheaper somewhere please let me know!
 
Try tractor supply co. For black diamond sand blasting 20/40 grit. I bought mine for $7.99 a 50 lbs bag. A nice cheap alternative. Be sure to wash and wash good. My fish love it.
 
Ok I will definitely go for the black sand! Does anybody know where the best place is to buy it?? I'm looking at PETCO and its $15.29 for 20 pounds of sand but if its cheaper somewhere please let me know!

That's likely the cheapest you're going to find black aquarium sand. I know others have used black blasting sand, but I cannot speak to the quality/safety of using that in your tank.
 
vanimal said:
Does the blasting sand look the same as normal sand??

It's a little bigger in size so it don't float around and cloud water. It's awesome.
 
They don't at mine. Only could find play sand, but pools aren't big here
 
Ok I might go tomorrow and see if home depot has any black blasting sand. Thanks everyone!! :)
 
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