Sand or pea gravel?

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M

Mythic Figment

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Jul 27, 2012
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Florida
So I am getting my hands on a 135 gallon tank tomorrow and I already have most of my stock list figured out. I have a Cascade 700 filter for the tank and will get either another cheap canister filter or a HOB filter to make up for the extra 70 extra gallons of filtration needed.

Here is the stock list I am absolutely sure of:
1 green severum (already have it)
1 blue acara (already have it)
6 geo tapajos red heads
6 angelicus loaches (already have them)
4 clown loaches

That is all I have so far, but I don't intend on adding much more.

I am trying to figure out what substrate is best for this list of fish. Sand or pea gravel? I have heard pros and cons to both.

The pea gravel isn't too harsh on the loaches and is pretty easy to care for, though it still requires weekly siphoning. The sand can potentially ruin a good filter, but is gentle on the loaches, is good for live plants, and the geos and acara are both sand sifters. I am still not sure if having live plants is a good idea with a group of potential plants eaters and destroyers.


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Im a pea gravel guy both my tanks have it - I like the look and since rinsed well is easy to work with just need my weekly siphoning and I can point my powerheads downward more and not worry about stirring it up - my own preference tho I have never used sand myself
 
I've had both you .have to clean gravel every wc. If you get Pfs and have enough filtration you never need to vac!

IMAG0686_zps75a712e6.jpg


Go S. Vettel #1 rb8
 
Iv used both sand and pea gravel in my tanks. I personally find the pea stones easier to clean and maintain, although I did take it all out recently and put tile in insted.

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I have pea gravel and try to use some flat pieces of slate for the look and to help with dead spots so its not too bad keeping it clean
 
I recommend both silica sand and pea gravel together. The silica sand will fill in the spaces between the pebbles and make it easier to keep the bottom clean. Also the geos will have enough sand to keep them happy and it has a nice natural look to it. I have seen several biotopes in the fishes' natural habitats (SA and CA). In SA its pretty much just sand, leaves, and branches from trees (deadfall). In CA the mix of sand and gravel prevails. I wouldn't go too deep with the combination (say 1-2" max) and would use about equal volumes of each. If it isn't to your liking (too much of one or the other), adjust accordingly.
 
notho2000 said:
I recommend both silica sand and pea gravel together. The silica sand will fill in the spaces between the pebbles and make it easier to keep the bottom clean. Also the geos will have enough sand to keep them happy and it has a nice natural look to it. I have seen several biotopes in the fishes' natural habitats (SA and CA). In SA its pretty much just sand, leaves, and branches from trees (deadfall). In CA the mix of sand and gravel prevails. I wouldn't go too deep with the combination (say 1-2" max) and would use about equal volumes of each. If it isn't to your liking (too much of one or the other), adjust accordingly.
Click to expand...

Okay. I like that idea. I will try to see what I can find since I am trying to get this thing running on a smaller budget than I would really like (but honestly most of us here would make million dollar tanks if we had the money LOL).


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You def want some sand for geos. It's (almost) really essential for them to be happy.
 
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