Sand or Gravel??

[ddaddy]

Im going to buy a 260l juwel tank in a couple of weeks, and im a fishkeeping virgin, so to speak. Ive been doing plenty of reading up but want advice on this.

Sand or Gravel?

I was going to use gravel because i think it looks good, but i would like a couple of fresh water puffer's and i think they prefer sand.

I dont know what other fish im going to have, but does this matter?
Are there fish that dont like sand and would prefer gravel? Or is sand an all round winner?

Also, is the process for cleaning sand the same as gravel? Will it not get sucked up a gravel cleaner?

Sorry about all the questions, but thanks in advance for any help.

ps. I will be having live plants, im sure sand is ok for this.

 

[Dubby]

Go for Sand. It is great !!! Easy to clean as well. Just hover above the sand with the syphon and the muck will get picked up. Sure a bit of sand might get picked as well but with experience you'll learn to minimise this.

There is a long discussion on gravel vs sand somewhere in this forum. That should help you....... if only I can find it

 

[SirMinion]

Which puffer? some simply prefer sand, but for others sand is essential.

Beyond that, the choice is yours, it's whatever floats your boat.

I prefer the look of sand and I like how easy it is to clean. Also, nearly all our fish are species that prefer it or need it so we have sand in all of our tanks

 

[red-devil0602]

Sand is lovely and for my experience plants grow great in it. if your in the uk get the play sand from argos it's only 2.50 for a 15kg bag

 

[Tokis-Phoenix]

I can't remember many of them, but here are some of the plus's and minus's to using sand over gravel;
a. Some fish like corys and khuli loaches(amoungst many other types of fish) prefer sand over gravel as it doesn't damage their barbs/whiskers for example.
b. Sand keeps your tank cleaner; basically with gravel, when uneaten food or poo/waste floats to the bottom of the tank it just settles in between the gravel and is difficult to clean up while with sand it just sits on top of it; Waste can look bad on sand especially white but it helps keep the tank cleaner.

Personally i'd go for sand as it opens up more options on kinds of fish that will be good for your tank; you can also get it in many colors too like natural, white, red, black, blue etc which i think look much better than gravel.
Avoid getting marine/coral sand as this alters the ph in your tank which will be baad for your fish.

Whatever you choose though remember to wash it well as if you don't you will most likely get very cloudy water; even with washing you will still get cloudy water but it will take much less time to settle

 

[GSD]

sand is the best IMO..but i have gravel because i am too lazy to go and wash allof the sand out!

 

[ogh1156]

I switched to sand & would never go back. I think it looks better, Is easier to clean and alot of fish species prefer it. Comes down to personal preference I guess.

 

[Loach Lover]

Sand is the best, easy to clean, looks good, and the fish love it.

 

[ddaddy]

Thanks for all the advice, sand it is

I bought 2 bags of sand from argos for £2.49 each, a lot cheaper than what the aquatic stores are selling it for.

 

[jimw13uk]

Bit late but as a Gravel man you did the right thing. I've always had gravel and now I wish I hadnt - its a pain in the backside. I am going to over the next few weeks change all my tanks to sand

 

[LoachLover]

Thanks for all the advice, sand it is

I bought 2 bags of sand from argos for £2.49 each, a lot cheaper than what the aquatic stores are selling it for.

That's a pretty good price (I think )

 

[Fat Boy]

Argos sand is great, it's cheap and looks nice and bright in the tank. One thing I would recommend you get are some bottom dwelling fish just to stir up the surface of the sand , this helps stop the build up of algae.

 

[Dubby]

Thanks for all the advice, sand it is

I bought 2 bags of sand from argos for £2.49 each, a lot cheaper than what the aquatic stores are selling it for.

Glad you went for it. Wish you the very best !

I totally agree - no point in buying from the aquatic stores. Just buy it from someone like B&Q, Homebase, ELS, Argos or Wilkinson