Gravel V sand

Hi All,

I set my tank up using pea gravel but now find it involves a lot of work keeping it clean. I use a syphon every 2 weeks, is this normal? Would life have been easier if I had used sand as a base?

Thanks for any comments.

Sand is easier to vacuum because debris sits on top and you only need to swirl the vacuum hovering over the sand. Plus the current in the tank can be manipulated to push the debris towards the filter intake.


Sand is necessary for species of fish that sift sand naturally as a foraging behavior such as corydoras, loaches, many dwarf cichlids, and even larger cichlids such as geophagus. It's also necessary for burrowing species such as banjo catfish, spiny eels, etc. So depending on what you keep is what really will decide the best substrate for your tank.



Personal opinion, gravel sucks for the very reasons you're finding--it traps mess quite a bit and is ironically more work in the long run than sand is.

Sand does have it's drawbacks, such as many kinds needing lots of rinsing before using it and also preventing anaerobic pockets from forming. Helps to stir it or get trumpet snails which help stir it for you with their burrowing. That said, gravel can still form anaerobic pockets, but not as often as a deep sand bed can. Food for thought for you

Thanks for the very in-depth reply. When vacuuming sand does any land up in the bucket? There is a filter built into the vac but are they fine enough to prevent sand escaping through it?

Just a quick description of my set up: Juwel Rio 125l ( app. 27 UK gallons) No plants, stocked with Neons, Rummy nosed Tetras, Harlequins, Guppies, 3 Bristlenoses,. I intend to keep a community tank with peaceful species.

Oh... I'm bound to get in trouble here and there are only a very few on this site that will agree with me

First @CassCats : I both agree and disagree with a lot you said. Still sand is not needed for Cory or pleco. As long as it is tumbled and polished pea gravel is fine for both. The lack of sand does not bother either species. The problem with gravel with such species is the cheap stuff that has not been polished and has sharp edges that may damage the barbels or is too large for the critters to be able to move around. When I finally get off my butt and do it I'll be setting up a new tank that will replace the current that I don't like. I'll be using natural river pebbles as my substrate. I actually paid like $50.00 USD for 24 pounds of this substrate but it is worth every penny as it is naturally harvested and will not cause any harm to a bottom dweller due to sharp edges.

Would I use the river pebbles if I had an interest in having corries? Not a chance as the pebbles are too large for the fish to dig. Also probably not with a pleco but there are some that would be fine with the larger river pebble size.

I'm a sort of leper here as I would not ever consider using sand as a substrate unless it was necessary for a specific species I just had to have. My thing is that I am a hard core believer in under gravel filtration and sand is basically impossible with this filtration. While most see under gravel filtration as obsolete it still, in my opinion, remains the best and most natural. In nature most fish we keep are river dwellers in nature. In a river under gravel filtration is actually what happens. Whether rock, slate, sand or pebbles water is flowing through the river bed. This is pretty much exactly what under gravel filtration does. We also sometimes talk about increasing filtration surface in some filters to increase good bacteria. None will ever match the bio surface of under gravel filtration as the entire substrate IS the media.

Octogenarian said:

Thanks for the very in-depth reply. When vacuuming sand does any land up in the bucket? There is a filter built into the vac but are they fine enough to prevent sand escaping through it?

Just a quick description of my set up: Juwel Rio 125l ( app. 27 UK gallons) No plants, stocked with Neons, Rummy nosed Tetras, Harlequins, Guppies, 3 Bristlenoses,. I intend to keep a community tank with peaceful species.

Click to expand...

Very little gets into the bucket. To prevent the debris from being dumped down a drain you can put a sort of sieve in your bucket to catch it before it's dumped.


Your species you have now don't require sand, but it's better if you plan to add other species later on to have sand. But reading your stock, I can point out your problem with the tank getting dirtier quicker--your plecos!

A 27 gal limit would be 1 bristlenose pleco for a community tank (a breeding setup is different as you could house a pair as long as there's no other fish). They poop A LOT and 3 is definitely way overboard for the bioload. Something to consider changing.


Regarding the behavior thing for sand sifters, since another poster had something to say about it... we should aim to provide fish what they expect to have in nature. And species that sift sand naturally do exactly that for a reason in nature. Keeping them on smooth rounded gravel may not physically harm them all of the time, but it's basically the equivalent of keeping a pet dog on a yard of fake golf course grass its whole life. Sure, won't harm the dog, but it's certainly not able to dig it up and enjoy it as it would with its normal behaviors.

You can observe these behaviors here:

These are slow motion videos showing the sifting motions





And can really see how they enjoy digging.



It's about psychological well being as much as physical well being. Of course, if you don't want species that require it, then by all means it's not necessary. But keep in mind that you will have happier and healthier fish longterm to provide what they prefer naturally rather than bare minimums, if you did eventually decide you wanted to get those types of fish.

I could go more into detail on the sand sifting topic, but it's not relevant for the current fish yoh have now, at least.

Thanks again cascats for the very in-depth reply. The Bristlenoses are only small, about an inch & a half, I have taken on board your comments & will act on them. I think I will stick to the gravel, and Jaylach , the pea gravel sold here is packed & sold as aquarium use & does not appear to have sharp edges, thanks also for your input.

Now, it will be Christmas day here in about 8 hours, it may already be the big day where you are, if so have a really good day and stay sobber (ish). (smiley face goes here.)