Switching from sand to pea gravel?

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Jack Dempsey
MFK Member
Jun 5, 2008
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So I tried to put a sponge over the intake of my filter to stop the sand from getting in but it didn't work. I really don't want to damage my aquaclear's so I am doing the best things and switching from sand to pea gravel. I do love the sand but it is just too much of a pain. Anyway my questions are...


1.Will removing the sand affect my bio filtration? I don't want an ammonia spike.

2.for those that have pea gravel should you maybe show pictures of how it looks in your tank or something you like or don't like about it?
 
Removing your sand will probably affect your bio however your aquaclear should be able to handle the change, just keep a watchful eye on your readings the first few days. I've never used pea gravel so I cant comment on how it looks. I have been considering replacing my sand with gravel as well due to the fish making a mess and having it go down the overflow and into the sump.
 
The biological effects of the change will probably be very small.
As said, a close eye on your water after the switch would be a wise thing to do.
Just be aware, the extra work you will be doing to keep the tank free of debris.
All that stuff that had sat on the surface of the sand will now be finding it`s way into the gravel bed.
Without a good cleaning strategy you could end up with more problems than impellers getting damaged.
 
Well I do love the sand but my impellers are constantly getting damaged. I know it will be a bit more work to keep the gravel clean but at least my filters won't jam.
 
I gotta be honest I am not crazy about the pea gravel look. Hmmm, maybe it would be worth it to drive out and find pool filter sand.
 
Hello; When I use sand, I sift it while dry and discard the fine stuff. The material kept and used will depend on the size of the screen used to sift it. I have used colanders and have made sifting boxes from screening material. I also buy construction sand that is cheap. I bought 3/4 ton last summer for about 15 dollars, for bedding some drain pipes. I find that this sand has a wide variety of sizes. After dry sifting it is also much easier to clean.

I have not used sand in tanks for a while. There are ways to deal with detritis in gravel. My first choice is to have some malaysian trumpet snails that burrow thru the gravel finding and eating any left over food. I have also siphoned out sections of gravel with a clear hose while doing a water change. I keep an amount of cleaned gravel on hand to replace that which is removed. This may not be practical with pea gravel as I suspect it is much bigger than the quartz gravel i now have in use.
 
skjl47 said:
Hello; When I use sand, I sift it while dry and discard the fine stuff. The material kept and used will depend on the size of the screen used to sift it. I have used colanders and have made sifting boxes from screening material. I also buy construction sand that is cheap. I bought 3/4 ton last summer for about 15 dollars, for bedding some drain pipes. I find that this sand has a wide variety of sizes. After dry sifting it is also much easier to clean.

I have not used sand in tanks for a while. There are ways to deal with detritis in gravel. My first choice is to have some malaysian trumpet snails that burrow thru the gravel finding and eating any left over food. I have also siphoned out sections of gravel with a clear hose while doing a water change. I keep an amount of cleaned gravel on hand to replace that which is removed. This may not be practical with pea gravel as I suspect it is much bigger than the quartz gravel i now have in use.
Click to expand...

What an awesome idea! I can sift the smaller particles out of something like play sand and keep the larger particles. I also like the look of the quartz gravel. Problem is always finding it.
 
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