substrate

[kangarooooooooo]

what's the best kind of substrate? like for cleanliness? i heard sand is good, but if u were to vacuum the tank wouldn't it suck all the sand out with it...?

 

[Guest]

personally ive never used sand but i hear that you sort of Hover your gravel vac over the top to get the loose debri... and it kind of packs down as well, so you need something like Malaysian trumpet snails to keep it churned up.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I love sand, wouldn't go back to gravel. If you choose a heavy sand, such as pool filter sand, it should not get sucked up into the gravel vac. I actually move my sand around with it with the suction on. The suction will pull the sand up, but it will fall back into the tank easily. Just pop in a few MTS and you are good to go.

 

[Sati]

I think the black Tahitian moon sand is the most beautiful. The dark substrate looks great with plants and fish.

 

[Toirtis]

Sand is good, and is cared for as per the previous posts. Gravel is the easiest for most people and suits the needs of most aquarists well...plus it is available in a far greater colour-range than sand.

 

[Tiffi]

I'm a gravel lover and would go with black, "glittery" (not dull), fine gravel like Tahitian Moon sand.
The fish will feel more comfortable on the dark underground and the colors of the fishes and plants will come out better .

It is still soft enough for catfish and easy to clean, plus you will have less algae growing on there, since it's darker.