Sand vs. Gravel

[daveamos]

Hello everyone!

Right now I'm using 2-4 mm wide gravel in my tank with 9 peppered cories, but everyone keeps talking about sand for cories. When I talked to my LFS, they said "it's too hard to clean" and recommended I didn't use it. How do you clean with sand? Doesn't waste just sit on the top? Is there any sort of biological filtration?

If it is harder to keep a tank clean with sand, is it worth the trouble to upgrade from a fine gravel?

I take it you don't vacuum sand, right? As a side note, whenever I vacuum my gravel I always get a cory stuck in the syphon - they love it when I kick up little bits of food and all congregate around the suction! It's very cute but somewhat pesky!

Thanks for all the help - every question I've had has been answered so well by this forum. I hope to help answer questions soon when I get better.

-Dave

 

[Teelie]

Try this.
http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=71597

 

[emma12321]

Hi Daveamos,

I would definately go with sand, your corys will love it. I have sand in all my tanks and find that if you make it higher at the back and slope to the front all the bits fall to the front and can be syphoned out easily, just hover it above the sand and pick all the big bits up then use it in the usual way but keep stopping as the sand gets to the top of the tube and let it fall back before moving to the next bit. This way you will areate the sand and stop gas pocket from building up.

Hope this helps

Emma

 

[evofish]

go for silica sand if you can i find it doesnt compack like normal play sand as looks twice as good i never have to syphon poo up it gets drawn into my filters unlike gravel it gets hooked in strait away i would never go back to gravel

 

[big mick]

I have about an inch of fine gravel with some bigger gravel (from another tank when I was cycling) and have recently just added aquarium sand just to scatter on top, it looks great just now (someone mentioned it look rubbish when it mixes up but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it)

Ive always been told gravel is bad for cories whiskers (Im sure there is another more technical name for them) but Ive got 5 cories all different and they love the sand.......as does my frog.

If done correctly you will be suprised at the difference it makes to the look of you tank.

 

[daveamos]

Thanks a lot for the great advice! Next time I'm in the neighborhood of my LFS I'll pick some up. I'm excited to see the cories digging around!

-Dave