sand vs gravel?

[johno27]

Sand, And don't use an under gravel filter they are garbage

 

[Saintsaber]

Sand to me has a more natural sexy look!

 

[dragonsong]

Sand, I just love the look and it's so much easier to clean.

 

[J.Lake]

sand is the best substrate for me, but check your filters impellers i bet there is sand.

 

[Fat Homer]

I have a tank with sand, and one with gravel and i have to say the tank with sand is almost easier to clean coz every thing stays above the sand so after cleaning the top its just a matter of stirring up the sand to release any trapped gas pockets...

The Gravel some may say is easier to clean, but imo, i find it a little more work coz you have to keep going over the same areas to make sure you get all the junk out from underneath it...

But to answer your question, i don't think sand would work with an under gravel filter, coz it would most likely get sucked into your filter?

 

[johnnycoolxx]

I have black sand (3M Colorquartz sand) and it's awesome. I used to have brown gravel, but if I got behind on waterchanges, all the fish poop and rotten food would go into the cracks of the gravel and stay there. With sand, especially if you have a pretty good current, most of the poop will stay on top and eventually make its way to one of your filters to be picked up.

Also, the type of fish I have makes sand an easy choice. I have geos and bichirs. The geos love to dig for food in the sand and spit it out, and my bichirs search for food on the sand and I don't have to worry about a big piece of gravel being stuck in their throats. Plus, black sand/black background really makes geos and bichirs color up nicely, much better than gravel IMO.

 

[GVerde]

I switched from gravel to sand and will never go back. I found that gravel traps a lot of fish debris and uneaten food which translates into higher nitrates. Even cleaning the gravel throughly you will still tend to miss a lot.

 

[kjfan1]

I use both. All depends on the fish in the tank and the filters I am using.

 

[th3champish3r3]

everyone says sand is easier to clean...what is the best way to clean sand? I have wondered about this debate also

 

[Mbargas]

so I have been looking around and have seen alot of people with sand instead

of gravel so i pose the question to all: witch is better and why?

and if you do have sand is it possible to use a under the gravel filter with it ?

Yes, sand can be used in an UG filter as long as the grains aren't so small that they fall through the slits on the UG plate. If you want to use finer sand, you will need to cover the plate with a nylon mesh, so that the particles won't fall through.