What is better to use in a fresh water tank sand or stones?

Answer 1

Well, gravel is easier than sand. It is easier to clean - when you use the gravel vacuum on sand, you end up sucking up all the sand. Also, gravel has more space between each rock, so water can flow freely within the gravel and keep it clean.

Plants will grow equally well in sand or gravel. You have to root them more solidly in sand, of course, but once they're planted, they're planted, and it's no worries.

As far as the fish go, they don't really care. Certain fish like lake tanganyikan cichlids like to bury their shells in sand, so they need sand and not gravel, but most fish, it doesn't matter.

There is no reason you can't go with sand, but there are a few stipulations. First, is the type of sand. You can use pool filter sand or sand blasting sand. OR you can use silica sand from the fish store, only if it says for Freshwater. Saltwater marine sand has salt additives that you do not want in your Freshwater tank. Don't use sand that is made from crushed coral, as it will drastically increase your pH and water hardness levels.

Sand needs to be thoroughly rinsed before using it, and it may cloud the aquarium for a couple days. It won't hurt your fish but it doesn't look great. Do 20% water changes every couple days to keep the cloudiness down. And when you put your tank into the tank, make sure it is completely settled before you turn on the filter, or it can go into the filter and clog it.

Also, sand, if not stirred up regularly, can become compressed; like a solid mass of sand. Use a wooden chopstick to sift through the sand every week.

Like I mentioned before, because sand is so tight, the water cannot flow freely through it. Toxic gasses can build up within the tank. The wooden chopstick will solve that.

OR you can get some Malaysian Trumpet Snails. They are little, unicorn-horn shaped snails. They reproduce easily, eat fish waste and algae, and burrow into the sand to keep it clean and loose. Ask your petstore, they'll probably give you some. And they reproduce easily.

There are a few fish you shouldn't keep on sand, such as loaches and corydoras. Their barbels can get damaged by sifting through the sharp sand and they can become infected. It's not common, but it happens.

Lastly, poop shows up terribly well against white sand. If you have high waste fish like goldfish or plecos, it is not a good idea to go with sand.

As for cleaning, when I use the vacuum tube, I just suck up some of the sand too. I dump the water, keep the sand, and just put it back in the tank.

Answer 2

That really depends on the style of fishtank.

Is it going to have live plants in it? If so, then the aquarium sand is definately the better choice. It allows the roots to spread out as much as possible, resulting in healthier and more lush plants. If you are using artificial plants, the type of substrate really doesn't matter other than your personal preference.

If you want to create a more realistic enviroment for your fish, you need to consider the type of fish you are going to put into your tank. For example, Cichlids live in rocky lakes in their natural habitat, so the stone would probably be a better choice than the sand.

In the end, its up to you and your individual tastes.

Good luck!

Answer 3

Hello. Sand is easily disturbed and can be abrasive on moving filter parts. Also, it can plug filters. Next, if you want to perform cleanliness maintenance you can't do it with sand. you can't rinse and reuse it. Furthermore, tanks need catfish like corydora cats to maintain levels of cleanliness on the food that is falling to the bottom. They have a difficult time doing this and could swallow sand as well. Gravel is designed to let small particles fall underneath it and deteriorate. It has more of a porous design. Sand cannot assist in the establishment of nitrates that do this. All aquariums to be healthy need some form of nitrates to assist with a multitude of tasks. If you like the sandy color, than consider a woodstone style of gravel. Woodstone is a color. I hope this helps in your decision-Thanks

Answer 4

DanielleZ is actual lower back. Sand is sand. you will pay greater for sand in a puppy keep besides the undeniable fact that it quite is exactly the comparable because of the fact the sand you will locate at walmart or Homedepot. that's not even washed! additionally, it will make sparkling up greater problematical. If possiable get a heavier grit. be sure to bathe the sand nicely. do not use a sheet to bathe your sand. larger products of debris won't wash out. Do as reported above, in a bucket, sleek rinse, sleek rinse. P.S. there's no lime in sand. not even shape sand. Silica or silicone sand is inert sand and could not abode the stable micro organism necessary for cycling your tank. you ought to use it besides the undeniable fact that, you will could desire to cycle your tank. Ocean sand may well be utilized (wash the heck out of it) besides the undeniable fact that it provides you with fake readings on your finding out. (Plus could abode micro organism you DON"T choose on your tank) maximum ocean products should not be positioned right into a clean water aquarium besides. no count how nicely they are washed.

Answer 5

I preffer gravel. Sand is tough to keep clean, plus, if you have fish that stir up the sand, it gets sucked into your filter and they were out really fast.

Also, if your planning on useing live plants, sand is an extreamly poor choice. Sand compacts and the roots cannot grow threw it, also it provides very little support for the plants.

Answer 6

Zoe pretty much said it all!
Excellent post there Zoe.

I just have a few comments to add. Sand with bigger grains will tend to be less likely to hold toxic gasses and is easier to stir and stirring it causes less cloudiness.

I actually preferred sand in one of my tanks BECAUSE the poop showed up easier. I just used a turkey baster and cleaned up the poop every day. But most people probably don't want to do that much maintenance!

Oh, and frogs don't do well with sand. They tend to swallow it when eating food off the bottom, and gravel helps them shed.

Answer 7

I like using sand with fry and young fish and aquarium gravel with my adult fish. Fry and young fish kept swimming in between pieces of gravel and getting stuck and dying, which they can't do in sand. I like gravel for my adult fish, especially my goldfish because then they can scavenge for any food left over from mealtime. (No, I don't overfeed, he likes splashing the food with his tail and making it float to the bottom, catching as much as he can before it settles into the gravel, and finishing off what has fallen into the gravel in the next few minutes. Don't know why, he's done it that way for the last 5 years.)

Answer 8

Gravel is better. It's easy to clean because you can vacuum it and plants (live or fake) stay rooted better. If you have an under gravel filter you can't use sand, either. It comes in a wide array of colors, too.

Answer 9

i would have to say sand. cause when you have to clean out the tank the stones make it so much harder to clean. and the dirt and yuckystuff gets stuck to them. lol