Media: Sand vs. Gravel

[Fishman0]

As stated, which would be best suited to keep cleaning to minimum. Recently getting a pleco, i have learned that they constantly produce waste... more than my P.Bass do. right now I have 1 inch round stone as the gravel bed, but need to vacuum constantly. would switching to sand help?
1) Is it worth the hassle?

2) Is sand better/worse for the fish and or equipment?

3) could I add sand without draining the tank? (first removing the gravel)

4) Is there an alternative method in keeping what I have and cleaning less?

srry for all the questions. Just curious

 

[Freezekougra]

1)If you like the way the sand looks. Some kinds of sand sink faster than others.

2)If you get sand, you'd have more visible fish poop since the waste stays on the top, but that may make it easier to vac. I don't think it makes much of a difference for most fish, but some people switch to sand for fish like bichirs because they may ingest a larger piece of gravel by accident.

3)I would remove a bit of gravel everyday. If you remove all the gravel at once, you'll be removing a lot of beneficial bacteria. Turn off the filter so the sand doesn't get pulled in.

4)Don't feed them as often/feed less each time, and make sure all of the food is eaten. If you don't already have one, you can buy some kind of water changer like a python so you can connect it right to your sink and quickly change the water.

If you're looking for cheap sand, you can try play sand or pool filter sand. I live in NY too and I paid $3.60 for a 50lb bag of play sand at home depot. Play sand requires a lot more rinsing and doesn't settle as quickly. PFS requires less rinsing, settles quickly, and is also cheap.


I hope my info is correct, I'm a fish noob

Edit: If you decide to get sand, you should get something to stir the sand a bit so the sand doesn't compact

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

I agree ^^

sand if sucked up by a filter can and 99% of the time will damage the filter.

I have never had a sand tank that did not get some in the filter at one point.

 

[Lupin]

Don't bother with gradually removing the gravel. Remove all the gravel at once if you want to switch to sand. There is enough bacteria in the filter to accommodate the bioload. I have no issues removing my substrate all at once.

 

[iloveoscars702]

As stated, which would be best suited to keep cleaning to minimum. Recently getting a pleco, i have learned that they constantly produce waste... more than my P.Bass do. right now I have 1 inch round stone as the gravel bed, but need to vacuum constantly. would switching to sand help?
1) Is it worth the hassle?

2) Is sand better/worse for the fish and or equipment?

3) could I add sand without draining the tank? (first removing the gravel)

4) Is there an alternative method in keeping what I have and cleaning less?

srry for all the questions. Just curious

1 depends. it would be a hassle to remove the gravel, then add the clean sand. but the final look would be lol
2 sand that is too rough can cut your fish and sand that is to fine can get stuck in their gills and filter wise if the sand is heavy enough, you shouldnt have a problem

3 yes. but it will take some time.

4 cut down on feedings. i feed my fish once a week and i dont even notice any waste on the sand.

btw if you do convert to sand... get pfs(pool filter sand)

 

[Freshwater Tim]

I have had sand for a number of years now. looks great and the fish waste does stay on top....but when you go to clean it the sand wants to go up the siphon along with the waste. Not alot but you always find some in the sink once you are done.

As far as the pumps go. Never had a problem with my canisters. Find a small amount in the bottom of them when cleaning...but nothing worth worrying about.

Do the sand!!

 

[Toby_H]

I switched to sand quite a few years ago and would never consider using gravel again...

1) Is it worth the hassle? In my opinion NOT using sand is not worth the hassle... Darn double negatives... in other words using gravel is not worth the hassle...

2) Is sand better/worse for the fish and or equipment? Some substrates can be 'to sharp" for some fish like stingrays, but your P Bass, Pleco and similar fish will be fine with any kind of sand.

I highly suggest Pool Filter Sand. It is regulated to be within a certain range of particle sizes meaning you will not have all of the fines which are common to get pulled into filters potentially causing damage.

3) could I add sand without draining the tank (first removing the gravel)? Yes, it is commonly done... it is a bit of work, but is a rather simple process that can be done in an hour or two.

4) Is there an alternative method in keeping what I have and cleaning less? Gravel requires frequent gravel vacs to keep clean/healthy. Compromising cleaning compromises health and cleanliness...


As far as sand harming your filters...

Most canisters are designed so the water comes in the intake... through the media... then past the impellor... then back to your tank. Therefore if your filter doe not have bypass (which is shouldn't) then the sand can not make it to the impellor.

HOB filters are different, the water comes up the intake... past the impellor... then through media and back to the tank. Therefore it is a bit more critical to keep sand out of HOBs. The good news is when HOBs get sand in them they are noticably louder and fairly easy to get to in order to clean them out. Be creative with a turkey baster...

 

[theoneandonlyjedi]

Sand FTW!!

I've had gravel for a few years and recently switched over to sand. its a lot easier to maintain and i think it looks a lot nicer.

 

[Fishman0]

Thanks for all the input.
You have all converted me to sand
Ill go the route of PFS as I was once a Pool Boy and know all about the standardized size of the granules.

What would be the easiest way to go about adding the sand after I make the tank bare?
My idea: Drain about 50% of the water, Mix the extracted water with the pre-rinsed sand, allow 30-60 min to completely settle, make necessary water addition/subtraction, turn on sump and add fish....

Right or Wrong? Remember im sorta new to the sand thing

 

[tcarswell]

Don't bother with gradually removing the gravel. Remove all the gravel at once if you want to switch to sand. There is enough bacteria in the filter to accommodate the bioload. I have no issues removing my substrate all at once.

ive been removing mine one cup a day lol