Out With Sand, In With Gravel

[justjon]

So.. after having sand for the past 12 months, I think i've had enough. To be honest, the sand look has worn off for me but more then that the cleaning is a pain in the rear!

I want to go for something really professional looking, I was thinking black gravel and caves with moss balls....? I currently have about 6 pieces of nice bog wood in with the tank but not sure it'd go with the look?

The only deal is I have Amano Shrimp and an Assasin Snail which seems to love burrowing, will this cause much of an issue?

How hard is it getting sand out and replacing with gravel, as when I changed the other way around I needed to do it in stages.

Thanks a lot, and any ideas on a good look would be appreciated!

Was also thinking of this gravel: http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/Roman-Gravel-Jet-Black-Aquarium-Gravel-2kg-/270776497973?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item3f0b897735

I was also wondering about stocking, which are the tiny bottom-mouth type fish that are in groups? I saw a group of 5-6 of these out somewhere and they looked very nice. Any other stocking ideas welcome!

 

[Harlequins]

I just changed my 10 gal tank from dark sand to light coloured sand,and basically turned the filter and heater off,removed all decor and using my hose from the gravel vac,sucked it all into a bucket,it took out about half the water also.
Then ensured the new lot was well washed and gently lowered it to the bottom of the tank using a tub,then re-filled with fresh water.the fish stayed out of the way

I know you said you were putting gravel back in,but the principle is the same

 

[James9114]

you must be mad! gravel never keeps clean and loads of muck will build up underneath, after seeing what was at the bottom of my gravel when i changed to sand i would never ever go back and only had gravel for about 6 months. but if you do change i would empty tank puttin fish into buckets or whatever u got handy. if u do it with fish in the tank they will get very stressed and you got a good chance of them getting whitespot

 

[justjon]

I am going for a small thin layer of black gravel. I don't mind dirt if it's sitting underneath as you can't see it and bacteria builds up etc. Sand is worse as it just sits at the top.

Look-wise, I just haven't been able to get the sand look working for me at all.. my tank just looks "meh"

 

[KittyKat]

Gravel is equally difficult to keep clean in that the same crap will land on it and fall between it.. the main difference is that unless you spend as much time cleaning it as you did with the sand, it can potentially cause problems, especially when it is disturbed. Because stuff actually sits on top of the sand, you can "see" the problem there.

What do you mean about bacteria? Unless you use undergravel filters, there will be no noticeable bacterial presence in it.

I advise against gravel by Roman because it is dyed and, from when I have seen it used, the dye comes off (I do not know if it is harmful to fish, but do assume that it is). I use the Dennerle's gravel and it does not loose colour over time.

 

[mark2109111]

Do a black planted dirt substrate. Its the best of both worlds. Dosent show dirt or poop. And dosent get the waste buildup of gravel Check it out at Dr.foster & smith.com

 

[justjon]

Hi Mark,

Sounds interesting but both those sites are something completely different?

 

[KittyKat]

www.drsfostersmith.com

 

[Geoff-]

I just got some bottom feeders. They don't eat poo of course, but they love sand and are forever rooting around in it. I have white sand and I never see fish poo, so I can only guess that they keep stirring it up until it ends up in the filter

An additional benefit, since getting corys the bottom of the tank takes on a rippled approach overnight. Then during the day the other fish seem to pick at the substrate and flatten it out. Next morning, more ripples! It's like having a Japanese Zen garden that I don't have to do anything to besides add food and change water

 

[Athena]

Justjon, you could always do what I did and have a mixed substrate - divide your tank up into interesting areas using both sand and gravel (if you think gravel is easier to keep clean with gravel vacs then make the larger area from gravel and just a small area for sand). It can look really great and adds a bit of interest to the aquarium. Bogwood and coconut caves look great on sand and rocks/pebbles suit the gravel well. I used lots of large pebbles/rocks to create natural divisions so that very minimal sand can get mixed with the gravel.

I use a large turkey baster for removing any odd bits of poop that might be on the surface of the sand - although I have quite a strong filter which seems to do a good job of getting rid of it all, so the sucking-up of poop is quite minimal with the baster LOL.

Not sure what type of fish those were that you described but if they are any type of cory then sand is definitely best for them.

Regards, Athena