gravel or sand?

[wrs]

but a 10 gallon is very easy to do, a 30 is not going to be easy. Also make sure that you clean the sand, or have acuclear or something like, because the tank will be cloudy for a LONG time.

 

[colegamby]

the tank wont be cloudy for to long. i ran the filter when i changed mine cleared up in a couple hours. it really isnt hard to change the tank over. its actually good for your tank because you can clean out all that rotted stuff mixed in with the gravel. i prefer sand much better

 

[Candyco]

I changed all my tanks over to sand a few months ago.... all i did was empty 50% of the water, removed the gravel, let the water settle, removed any excess dirt from the bottom of the tank & then added my thoroughly cleaned sand..... no mist.... no mess and the tanks were clear within a couple of hours! Never going back to gravel! Too much like hard work to clean if you ask me! tehe

Kaz x-x-x-x-x

 

[utahfish]

i think gravel is easier to clean becasue you can just probe in and out with the siphon and get all the gross stuff out. with sand it's a little trickier because at the same time your sucking up poop your also sucking up little particles of sand.

i prefer sand though. looks cooler is better for plants.

 

[Iron Man]

I changed all my tanks over to sand a few months ago.... all i did was empty 50% of the water, removed the gravel, let the water settle, removed any excess dirt from the bottom of the tank & then added my thoroughly cleaned sand..... no mist.... no mess and the tanks were clear within a couple of hours! Never going back to gravel! Too much like hard work to clean if you ask me! tehe

Kaz x-x-x-x-x

This is exactly how I changed over. It just takes a little time.....but not as much as you would think.

 

[dougc87]

How do you was sand? I use a strainer to wash my rock, but the sand would fall throught the holes. Also if a fish starts to dig in the sand and tosses the sand up how long would it take for the sand to settle and is it bad for fish to "breath" the sand in? Sorry for this long question I am a big newbie to this fish stuff.
Doug

 

[SPLiSH]

IMO sand is far prettier and easier to clean.

How do you was sand? I use a strainer to wash my rock, but the sand would fall throught the holes. Also if a fish starts to dig in the sand and tosses the sand up how long would it take for the sand to settle and is it bad for fish to "breath" the sand in? Sorry for this long question I am a big newbie to this fish stuff.
Doug

I wash sand by getting a *clean* pair of pantyhose, cutting one leg off, putting the sand in and rinsing it under running water until the water runs clean.

To be honest I have no idea about fish breathing sand in... they probably couldn't because of their gill covers. I'm not sure....

Hey, don't be sorry for asking questions, that's the way people learn and it's the purpose of this forum.

 

[Iron Man]

Many fish are natural "sand sifters" and those who aren't, a majority of them, have no issues in passing sand or many other small particles through their gills. The gills are an amazing design....I would say they are better than our lungs.

 

[wrs]

it really does depend on the sand as well. Mine still gets cloudy if I touch it, and it was cloudy for 6 days when putting it in.

 

[Isis_Nebthet]

Since I can't syphon either of my two biggest tanks I say sand I *hate* trying to stir my gravel. Still needs done though (and only having half of the tank graveled doesn't help make it any easier).

I had a lot of reservations about me actually liking sand in the smaller tank. I have a pond and tried to plant things in sand previously and it turned into a big smelly mess. Of course, being at the bottom of a planter it was never disturbed. I should have thought of that a long time before I put in sand )

 

[danski]

try this
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=88745