in about a month, I am moving my juvi rbp into a 75 gallon possably 135 just depends on the convience of getting the 135. Was wondering what everyone thinks about sand vs gravel, I have always had gravel and havnt had problems with it. Is sand easy to clean, does it get cloudy alot, how do you vacuum, pretty much I just need facts and opinions. Also my rbp love eating whole shrimp each time i feed them, but when I feed them pollock they dont really eat as much and I swith the feeding schedules up so im not feeding the shrimp the same time everyday. So gravel vs sand which is better and why?
setting up new tank for rbp, gravel vs sand
- Thread starter amanning
- Start date
i think it all comes down to what you think looks better...
sand is really easy to clean because stuff just sits on top so you can just pass your syphon over it and it picks it right up, although some people don't like that the stuff just sits on top of the sand making the tank look dirty.
sand can ruin the impellars on HOB filters if the intake is close to the bottom. i personally think sand looks better, but if you are worried about it making your water cloudy, just make sure you wash the hell out of it. once you think you have rinsed it well enough, repeat the entire process over again... it may take a bit, but it will be worth it in the long run.
sand is really easy to clean because stuff just sits on top so you can just pass your syphon over it and it picks it right up, although some people don't like that the stuff just sits on top of the sand making the tank look dirty.
sand can ruin the impellars on HOB filters if the intake is close to the bottom. i personally think sand looks better, but if you are worried about it making your water cloudy, just make sure you wash the hell out of it. once you think you have rinsed it well enough, repeat the entire process over again... it may take a bit, but it will be worth it in the long run.
HOB Gravel for sure...had sand ruin 2 on my HOB filters as soon as the fish spook a little and stir up the sand...
Canister filter...like stated above...go with whatever you like better
i did a 1/2 sand 1/2 pond pebble in my 125g SA/CA tank and sand in my 75g African tank
Canister filter...like stated above...go with whatever you like better
i did a 1/2 sand 1/2 pond pebble in my 125g SA/CA tank and sand in my 75g African tank
its going to have a canister filter on it, so the sand wont ruin the canister filter, is that what your saying?
depends on what you want for the tank... play sand is pretty fine and can get kicked up a bit easier and hangs in the water column, it also compacts easily, so you need to either stir it up every once in awhile or plant it to help prevent areas from going anaerobic. personally, i think play sand looks the best tho and it is also usually the cheapest option at about $3 for a 50 lb. bag
all purpose sand usually has a bit larger grain, so it stays put a bit easier, but it is usually a lot harder to clean when you first buy it. all purpose sand usually runs about $4-5 for a 50 lb. bag.
silica sand can be purchased in many different grains so you can choose which one you like best... it is also heavier than play sand and all purpose sand so it doesn't get kicked up as easily, it also drops quickly out of the water column and doesn't need to be rinsed much when you first buy it. silica sand usually runs anywhere from $5-15 per 50 lb. depending on what type you get.
there are also the specialty "aquarium" sands that you can buy at your lfs, tahitian black moon sand is one of the most popular... these usually work great and look great as well, but you do have to pay for it, and it usually breaks down to about a buck per pound.
all purpose sand usually has a bit larger grain, so it stays put a bit easier, but it is usually a lot harder to clean when you first buy it. all purpose sand usually runs about $4-5 for a 50 lb. bag.
silica sand can be purchased in many different grains so you can choose which one you like best... it is also heavier than play sand and all purpose sand so it doesn't get kicked up as easily, it also drops quickly out of the water column and doesn't need to be rinsed much when you first buy it. silica sand usually runs anywhere from $5-15 per 50 lb. depending on what type you get.
there are also the specialty "aquarium" sands that you can buy at your lfs, tahitian black moon sand is one of the most popular... these usually work great and look great as well, but you do have to pay for it, and it usually breaks down to about a buck per pound.
mine is thick grain
i previously used play sand from home depot...took forever to clean and it was such small grain that my filter sucked up atleast 5 lbs of sand every month
i previously used play sand from home depot...took forever to clean and it was such small grain that my filter sucked up atleast 5 lbs of sand every month
I use small river gravels, some tanks tan some tanks dark brown. The tan really reflects the light so with my P's it's the dark brown. I've used carribean playsand in the past and as everyone else has stated it destroyed my overhead pump every year. I've heard good things about 3m quartz sand and I do prefer the look but it's not worth me loosing filtration over.