Gravel actually cleaner than sand?!?!

[Mebbid]

I've heard it recited time and time again that sand is cleaner than detritus and after some thought I believe that gravel is actually cleaner than sand in some ways.

The biggest argument against gravel is that it traps detritus which can contribute to higher nutrient levels in the tank. However, that's actually the exact reason why its cleaner than sand.

With a gravel vac its simple to remove the detritus from the gravel. When you do this you keep the locked up nutrients from ever being released into the water column. However, with sand this doesn't happen. In a sand substrate there's nothing to lock the nutrients in so they stay on top of the substrate or getting sucked into the filter directly releasing the trapped nutrients into the water.

Does anyone have any thoughts to add about this?

 

[tratcliffe44]

Sand vs gravel can be argued all day long.
I think it's a matter of opinion. I think sand looks really nice. But I have never went with sand. I prefer gravel because I use gravel filters. With power head pumps. I know a lot of ppl don't like or use gravel filters. I have had tanks for years and never used a gravel filter.
Which can not be used with sand.
But I do think gravel can stay cleaner. Because yes, leftover food and junk will go down into the gravel unlike sand.
I would suggest a gravel filter if you go with gravel. My tank has never been cleaner. And I've had almost no trouble with chem levels.


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[Ynotony]

Personally I'm going to say gravel is a better choice I found it easier to clean and just looks nicer than sand.....

With that being said the reason I would say no to sand is that yes it looks cleaner and nicer but the big problem I had with it is that when u do have waste on the top layer of the sand it will eventually get covered up by the fish swimming over it or stirring it up and the thing with that is it will create pockets of ammonia or rotten food and waste that when a fish happens to stir it up gets a big old Bakst of toxins to its face. And that can cause a spike as well in ur tank if there are a lot of little pockets scattered around the tank that get stirred up.

At least with the gravel u can go in and gravel vac it and get all the waste out and not lose any substrate. But that is my 2 cents on sand vs gravel

 

[loachy dance]

Sand is difficult to clean, sort of. My 55 is mostly sand, but cleaner fish that prefer sand substrates can do a better job cleaning this then cleaning gravel. Examples would be cories, eartheaters, and plecos. They all prefer sand, as do cleaner snails. If you have cories, i guarantee spotless sand, while gravel will require more work to clean.

 

[Mebbid]

I'm not trying to argue which is better sand vs gravel. But people's primary argument against gravel is that it's dirty and will cause a nutrient spike in the aquarium which I find to not be true as long as it's cleaned properly.

Personally I'm going to say gravel is a better choice I found it easier to clean and just looks nicer than sand.....

With that being said the reason I would say no to sand is that yes it looks cleaner and nicer but the big problem I had with it is that when u do have waste on the top layer of the sand it will eventually get covered up by the fish swimming over it or stirring it up and the thing with that is it will create pockets of ammonia or rotten food and waste that when a fish happens to stir it up gets a big old Bakst of toxins to its face. And that can cause a spike as well in ur tank if there are a lot of little pockets scattered around the tank that get stirred up.

At least with the gravel u can go in and gravel vac it and get all the waste out and not lose any substrate. But that is my 2 cents on sand vs gravel

I don't know who started the toxic gas pockets in sand myth but it's really bugging me, especially because it's a complete myth. Those anaerobic pockets contain nitrogen gas which is made from bacteria in the sand bed consuming nitrate. They take in the nitrate and utilize the oxygen expelling straight nitrogen gas. When the bubbles come out of the substrate it's just gas leaving the tank going into the atmosphere. There's not enough contact time for the nitrogen gas to be infused into the tank water.

 

[mikem691]

In my opinion its easier for me to deep clean gravel with the syphon. I also have a big problem with cleaning the glass at the sand with out getting a few grains of sand between the cleaning pad and scratching the glass.

 

[Ynotony]

I was explained that by a stingray breeder when I first got back in to fish a few years ago....I heard it again a year or so ago when I was raising my shark while doing saltwater.

I don't think its a complete myth rather some people have just had really bad luck with it or they just never clean there sand at or have fish that clean it for them

 

[Mebbid]

I was explained that by a stingray breeder when I first got back in to fish a few years ago....I heard it again a year or so ago when I was raising my shark while doing saltwater.

I don't think its a complete myth rather some people have just had really bad luck with it or they just never clean there sand at or have fish that clean it for them

It's a long standing myth that refuses to die. Imho what most likely happened is that a deep sand bed that grows anaerobic bacteria can create an ammonia spike when it gets exposed to air. It's common knowledge that happens in salt water but it has to be a deep sand bed that will cause that.

In my opinion its easier for me to deep clean gravel with the syphon. I also have a big problem with cleaning the glass at the sand with out getting a few grains of sand between the cleaning pad and scratching the glass.

Yeah, that is an issue with sand scraping up the glass. My last room mate scratched the Heck out of her new 20g by doing that.

 

[Bichir Bro]

This argument could go on for a very long time and really there's no right answer to the question; 'which is better gravel or sand?'
I personally do not have a preference to one or the other, it totally depends on the type of look/stock I'm going for. However some fish do require sand like, Arrowhead Puffer (Tetraodon suvattii) and all the Spiny Eels burrow and require a fairly thick sand substrate to burrow. My old 30 gallon had a natural looking gravel substrate, but my 60 gallon has pool filter sand. Neither one of them looked better, or functioned better, than the other lol.


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[Mebbid]

This argument could go on for a very long time and really there's no right answer to the question; 'which is better gravel or sand?'

You're right. This argument could go on forever. But again, that's not the argument I'm making. I'm more focused on the single pervading belief that gravel is bad because it's dirty. Personally, I still like sand more but I don't believe that gravel should be dismissed because of an improperly accepted idea about it.

 

[ccp2007]

I had sand and switched back to gravel just because the maintenance is easier. Sand looks really nice but then again I really like my natural river bed gravel. I keep my gravel really clean so I agree that gravel is just as clean, if not cleaner, if properly taken care of.

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[loachy dance]

Ive done both. I just think sand stays naturally clean longer before human intervention. Most people i know have scavengers of some sort and its usually easier for most to pick up sand and clean it then to clean between gravel. My cories for example clean scraps off the sand layers and will dig in the sand to clean everthing, but they cant move the gravel.

 

[anteatergoanna]

Just switched from gravel to sand...aside from it looking better, my fish love it. Gravel doesn't suit some fish, that was my main reason for changing. It doesn't matter what you have, it needs to be kept clean and I'm not sure that giving substrate a good clean is any easier whether gravel or sand is used. It's just your preference, and the sort of fish you wish to keep.


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[Britty]

I went gravel. When I first got my tank I read everything related to proper tank care and maintenance and the plusses and minuses of both sand and gravel. Yes gravel can trap anaerobic pockets...if you leave it undisturbed for weeks. Or is it better to let the poop sit on top of sand for weeks. Answer is neither.

I clean all my gravel weekly. Toss it about it the gravel vac like dominoes. Never ever had an ammonia spike from both turning it or doing the lot each time, which many argue against. Gravel is easy to maneuvre, plant into and keep tidy. There are similar plusses for sand, but gravel seems to get a bad rap by default and its not true. If you have a good sense of tank keeping then its all a myth.

The success or otherwise of your substrate is determined by you.

 

[loachy dance]

Frankly detrtus doesnt sit on my sand for long at all. Catfish and some barbs eat it, gross... And i have some jungle vals and sword plants that need it. Snails and eartheats also eat fish poo. Not all of it, but if you have live plants you shoudnt remove it all anyway.