I will say that I had gravel my whole life and never realized what I was missing. When I came to AA I learned about pool filter sand or(PFS). I like it so much better. For starters, I like the white look. When I had gravel there would always be a lot of excess food, and waste building up so when I did a gravel vac there would be a lot of floating and cloudiness. With PFS you can suck the waste right up. The only catch is to move the sand around so toxic gases do not build up under the sand. You can do this with Malaysian Trumpet Snails or a coat hanger. And lastly it is very cheap. At any pool supply store it is roughly $10-12 per 50lb. bag. This is all just my opinion. Maybe other people will chime in.