Sand vs Gravel -- Maintenance

[thechief]

With my pfs it wouldn't sit on top it would get pushed down and moved around from my fish so I had to vacuum it like gravel and it was annoying plus I like black substrate

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[slippery slimecoat]

pfs is great, and I use it ...but a VERY thin BIT (1") OF GRAVEL IS REALLY easy to maintain , looks ok, and wont screw up your hob's to the point of being so noisy they drive you crazy,,,,,, most WILL agree I think that pfs is best , if filters aren't an issue (use pre filter sponges),,,, but gravel , in a thin layer is safer for hob's, and with PROPER CIRCULATION ,, real easy to clean as well,,, hope this helps

+1. I've used pfs in the past, but I have a 13" pleco. I woke up one morning with a 25 pound sand dune in the center of the tank lol. I use a thin layer of gravel with good water circulation. I have no issues with it and is easy to clean.

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[alexanian]

I have a tank with gravel and a tank with sand. I've been using gravel for years and honestly u can never actually clean gravel. When I would change stock or do repairs on the tank with gravel there would be a thick layer of waste and scum under it, there is just no way to clean it out other then removing all the gravel and rinsing it. On my new 200g I used sand and all the waste stays accumulated on top of the sand and is easy to clean out. Also a couple of strategically placed power heads will be able to push it to the filter intake. As far as keeping the sand from shifting I used a thin layer of gravel on the bottom and then put the sand on top and now even breeding convicts have a hard time digging and moving the sand.
My vote goes to sand.

 

[Aquanero]

I prefer PFS over gravel, there are pros and cons to both but overall I like PFS both astatically and for ease of maint.

 

[DIDYSIS]

With good flow and fish that stir in the sand you never have to clean sand. Rock always needs cleaning.

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[piranhaman00]

Another con of sand I hear about is aenarobic activities that produces strong odor due to areas that is left undisturbed for a long period of time. In my 75gal, I have an area that the is heavily "planted" with plastic plants which have never be disturbed/sifted for over a year and a half, and so far no smell. Just something to keep in mind. This tank has about 3" of sand, but in my new 180, I think I'm just gonna have about an inch which would make it easier for me (and my fish) to move it around thoroughly from top to bottom. Like Hamster, I'll never go back to gravel either.

This is why the depth at most in my 180 of pfs in only a inch or so. And cichlids are constantly moving the sand around