Gravel vs Sand

[StarOrbs]

So as the title says whats the purpose of both. I've been wondering whats the purpose of having sand in the tank instead of gravel.

 

[Erised]

Why its better for fish:
A lot of fish prefer sand over gravel, corries for example love digging around in sand, where they can not do this in gravel without hurting/wounding and sometimes losing their whisker like thingies (yeah, I'm great in remembering names of body parts and stuff ). Most bottom feeders prefer sand over gravel for this reason, plus that gravel can be sharp sometimes and cause small cuts. Other fish often seem to prefer it as well, but no clue why.

Why it could be a lot better for you:
Cleaning sand is easier than cleaning gravel. With gravel, most of the dirt falls down inbetween the gravel and is pretty much impossible to get clean ever again. Unless you have a Lot of plants that use this to live of, this can cause the water levels to become unstable. With sand the dirt will stay on top of the sand, making it a lot easier to remove. Just hold the syphon about a cm over the sand and the dirt will come up, leaving the sand where it was.

Why you might prefer gravel:
Gravel you can put into your aquarium right away, without too much fuss. With sand however, you'll need to rinse it out properly first. This can take a very long time, and even after that you'll probably have to let it all settle for a day and then do 1 or 2 water changes before the water will be clear. Gravel also tends to look a lot cleaner because the crap sinks right down, where (even though its still there and messing up the water) you can not see it.

 

[StarOrbs]

Okay, but one thing I need to know, can plants fuction the same way as they would in gravel?

 

[Tom H]

your plants will be fine in sand. perhaps even better. i have two tanks, one with gravel, one sand.

Plant roots seem to develop better in sand, which is obviously better for the plants.
Also there are very few gaps in sand, so anerobic (without oxygen) respiration can take place, in bacteria and the plants, which will have good effects of your tank.

 

[yhbae]

There is a good trade off between the two - pool filter sand. They are fine enough that waste don't get trapped between grains while it is heavy enough that they don't get blown around easily - you can stick syphon into it without worrying about sucking them up.

I personally use PFS in all tanks except the species that demand sand.

 

[gale]

There is a good trade off between the two - pool filter sand. They are fine enough that waste don't get trapped between grains while it is heavy enough that they don't get blown around easily - you can stick syphon into it without worrying about sucking them up.

I personally use PFS in all tanks except the species that demand sand.

Does pool filter sand alter ph of the tank? Also would it be easy to clean in small quantities in the house instead of outside? It's freezing cold here, my hoses are all put away for the winter (plus they're dirty from being outside and I don't want to buy new hoses), and I only have one small bucket. OTOH I don't want to clog my sink or tub with it either. hmmm... I need something in my small tank right away-I have bio spira waiting to be used and i want to stock this tank soon.

 

[dirtydogg]

It a lot costs more, but if you buy your sand at a pet store it is usually pre-washed. I just switched from gravel to sand in my 38, and it never got really cloudy, for the most part it was clear about ten minutes after starting the filters. You still have to wash the pre-washed sand, but not nearly as much, ten minutes was all I did with great results.

 

[yhbae]

Pool filter sands are fortunately cheap - I bought a 50 pound bag for $5 and it hardly produces any muddy water when you wash them (unlike sand) so it is far easier to wash them as well. I see absolutely no reason why you cannot do this indoor...

Try to look for them in pool supply stores or some hardware stores...

 

[k2snowboards88]

I have tropical play sand in my tank because i have an eel that likes to burrow. I used to have gravel, but he kept cutting himself on it. When i switched, i bought the tropical play sand from home depot for 3 dollars for a 50 pound bag which was enough for a 55 gallon tank. I washed the sand inside using a bucket. I filled the bucket a third of the way up with sand, and then all the way up wiht water. Then i mixed the sand wiht my hand until the water looked dirty. Then i poured the water out into the toilet. Then i had to fill it back up wiht water, mix and dump out the water again. I repeated this until the water stopped getting dirty after mixing. It took 4 hours to clean all 50 pounds unfortunately. But it was worht it. After filling the tank with the sand it took only an hour for the cloudyness to go away.

 

[Discomafia]

Pool filter sands are fortunately cheap - I bought a 50 pound bag for $5 and it hardly produces any muddy water when you wash them (unlike sand) so it is far easier to wash them as well. I see absolutely no reason why you cannot do this indoor...

Try to look for them in pool supply stores or some hardware stores...

Can you buy them at Rona or Canadian Tire? What about Home Depot? I tried checking, but none. Better start checking the yellow pages for pool supply stores. And is this the stuff used in swimming pools? Never heard of pool filter sand before I got into the hobby. How much will I need for a 29 gallon?