Gravel, Sand, Do Fish Care?

[cheeky chappie]

i'm about to re-commission my juwel rio 180 that's been sitting empty for a couple of years. i used to have various fish in it and always had a gravel substrate for no particular reason other than i preferred the look. however, i'm now toying with a sand substrate but wonder if the fish themselves really care? i'm considering catfish this time round and i'm wondering are certain types of fish better suited to certain substrates and if yes what's the rough rule of thumb? logic would tell me they (catfish) would prefer sand but not sure what i'm basing that on truth be told other than gut instinct.

 

[moochy13]

most catfish ive encountered sift sand thrugh their gills to feed. ive got corys, hopolo, banjo's, syno's and they all do it. its also thought to be kinder to their 'whiskers', bearing in mind they are constantly running them over the substrate to find food. lets fish dig aswell, which mine seem to enjoy. its also easier to keep clean than gravel.

 

[cheeky chappie]

most catfish ive encountered sift sand thrugh their gills to feed. ive got corys, hopolo, banjo's, syno's and they all do it. its also thought to be kinder to their 'whiskers', bearing in mind they are constantly running them over the substrate to find food. lets fish dig aswell, which mine seem to enjoy. its also easier to keep clean than gravel.

thanks for reply, so you're saying sand in general might be the best option both from a 'fish care' and 'aquarium maintenance' point of view?

p.s. love your setup

 

[FishAreFriendsNotFood10]

most members on here will always advise sand for corys/catfish ... i do have gravel but i would love to see how natural my cories would be with sand

 

[moochy13]

obviously everybody has their own opinions. personally, i wont ever be using gravel again. i removed a patch of gravel from my tank and the crap left under it, despite gravel vaccing, was minging . with sand, any old food, fish poo, dead fish bits, dead plant bits etc stays on top of the sand, enabling you to easily see it and easily hoover it up off the surface. obviously lots of people have no problems whatsoever using gravel, but im choosing not to go back to it again.

i have banjo catfish that totally bury themselves in the sand, leaving only a hole to breath. obviously not going to happen in gravel. as i said, the catfish i mentioned all sift through the gravel, and so do my rams and apisto's. i also find it easier to plant in, though ive read some threads where people have a real hard time with it. the argos playsand i use is also dirt cheap, so its no problem replacing it or topping it up. my plecs like to dig in the sand to create little craters to lay in, every week the bottom of my tank looks different. though this does mean i have sand kicked up over small plants and the bogwood, sometimes a bit annoying from an aesthetic point of view.

obviously fish that dont venture near the bottom couldnt give a toss what substrate you have. im a sucker for catfish and plecs, so there was only one option for me.

 

[Joshwainwright]

Sand is so much:
Easier
Cheaper
More fun
More practical
Safer

Win/win

 

[cheeky chappie]

ok you've convinced me ... sand it is!

 

[Joshwainwright]

I promise it will look nice

 

[FiSHY79]

May I ask, at present i have two types of gravel in my tank (4ft 100 gallon tall) and I am thinking of switching to sand for the benefit of the cory's, yoyo coaches and bristle nose's.

The two types I have now are medium round river gravel, which is a little smaller than the normal colored gravel a lot of aquariums have, and the second is a finer gravel, i have noticed that the corys and loaches prefer to dig around the finer travel, but if they are most at home in sand, I would like to add this aswell, if possible. (if i need to remove the gravel that exists, it will have to be planned, as it is a tall tank and i cannot reach the bottom of the tank so easily).

Would the addition of sand be of benefit or hindrance?

 

[ajs2294]

IME sand beats gravel. Gravel is general the "quick and easy" route for novice fish keepers when in comes to set up rinse quickly and throw it in. Its pretty easy to keep clean if you take the time to vac it and generally looks good without cleaning. But sand seems to be more enjoyed by the inhabitants of my tanks which is the main reason I use it. Its obviously great for cories, though all my other species of fish seem to love it. Now others have said its "safer" and "easier" and im not trying to scare you away but Id like to state that it can require more time to keep it looking nicer and it definitely isn't always safer if gases aren't released over time. In long long run if you put the time in sand seems to be more beneficial to your fishes.

 

[moochy13]

very fine gravel will probably be alright for cory's, the main problem with gravel and corys is that larger, sharp edges can ruin the 'whiskers'.

Now others have said its "safer" and "easier" and im not trying to scare you away but Id like to state that it can require more time to keep it looking nicer and it definitely isn't always safer if gases aren't released over time. In long long run if you put the time in sand seems to be more beneficial to your fishes.

hhmm, takes me a minute to hoover the sand in my 4ft tank to the point where i cant see anything on the surface, definitely quicker than digging around in gravel. as for the gas thing, the suggestion its a danger is a myth. it does build up, and would be harmful if your fish swallowed it, but it doesnt come into contact with the water as such. when its released from the sand, its in a bubble. the idea of a bubble is that its a pocket of gas travelling through water until it gets to the surface and pops. so the only time the 'harmful' gas is released, its above your tank.

same as airstones. they dont oxygenate your water as such, because the bubbles of oxygen just rise to the surface and pop. any help they give is through agetating the surface WHEN they pop, not the actual bubbles of air. i have never releasead the gas from my tank, sometimes my fish do it when they dig, but other than that it doesnt get done.

 

[Skins]

very fine gravel will probably be alright for cory's, the main problem with gravel and corys is that larger, sharp edges can ruin the 'whiskers'.

Now others have said its "safer" and "easier" and im not trying to scare you away but Id like to state that it can require more time to keep it looking nicer and it definitely isn't always safer if gases aren't released over time. In long long run if you put the time in sand seems to be more beneficial to your fishes.

hhmm, takes me a minute to hoover the sand in my 4ft tank to the point where i cant see anything on the surface, definitely quicker than digging around in gravel. as for the gas thing, the suggestion its a danger is a myth. it does build up, and would be harmful if your fish swallowed it, but it doesnt come into contact with the water as such. when its released from the sand, its in a bubble. the idea of a bubble is that its a pocket of gas travelling through water until it gets to the surface and pops. so the only time the 'harmful' gas is released, its above your tank.

same as airstones. they dont oxygenate your water as such, because the bubbles of oxygen just rise to the surface and pop. any help they give is through agetating the surface WHEN they pop, not the actual bubbles of air. i have never releasead the gas from my tank, sometimes my fish do it when they dig, but other than that it doesnt get done.

+1

 

[FiSHY79]

Is it possible to run sand and gravel at the same time, or does it become a mish-mash mess and hence one only one of the two media at any given time is popular?

 

[Joshwainwright]

hhmm, takes me a minute to hoover the sand in my 4ft tank to the point where i cant see anything on the surface, definitely quicker than digging around in gravel. as for the gas thing, the suggestion its a danger is a myth. it does build up, and would be harmful if your fish swallowed it, but it doesnt come into contact with the water as such. when its released from the sand, its in a bubble. the idea of a bubble is that its a pocket of gas travelling through water until it gets to the surface and pops. so the only time the 'harmful' gas is released, its above your tank.

same as airstones. they dont oxygenate your water as such, because the bubbles of oxygen just rise to the surface and pop. any help they give is through agetating the surface WHEN they pop, not the actual bubbles of air. i have never releasead the gas from my tank, sometimes my fish do it when they dig, but other than that it doesnt get done.

Well that's saved me a job, I thought it had to be stirred.

 

[moochy13]

Is it possible to run sand and gravel at the same time, or does it become a mish-mash mess and hence one only one of the two media at any given time is popular?

i used to have about a 1/3rd of my tank as gravel at one end, and i wish i hadnt have bothered. i took it out a couple of weeks ago. it just ended up being a mix of sand and gravel as fish blew sand around from just swimming about. i didnt really notice it happen, but when i compared pics of my tank when i set it up to where the gravel 'started' when i remopved it, the sand had covered about 8 inches of gravel. just not worth the bother unless you have a fish that particuarly needs gravel.