# sand vs gravel



## jlos1213 (May 15, 2009)

Just trying to get some opinions. Which is better for Malawi cichlids. Sand or gravel? Setting up a new tank and have never used sand before....usually natural gravel. I was thinking of going with sand this time. Looking for pros and cons. Also what type of sand would be best. Any feedback would be great.


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

sand is easier to see waste buildup....but its all on the surface so easier to clean as well as the fish seem to like the sand better.....just be careful so none of the sand gets in ure filter.....gravel is just as fine...harder to see waste....might be more expensive depending on what sand u go with.....alot of people will u pool filter sand or play sand which u can get very cheap at any store like home depot lowes menards ect...


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## Dakuan (Apr 16, 2009)

Gravel is easier to clean and doesnt show up the fish gunk as much.

Sand is prefered by fish and shows up fish gunk more, its also more expensive.

Pick the look that you like....i went for gravel for convenience and regretted it!


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

i also thought gravel was easiest to clean ....but i guess the waste staying right on the top of the sand makes for an easier cleanup...just have to stir up the sand once in a while.


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## howajj (Apr 8, 2009)

i think sand looks better. also cichlids dig by scooping up substrate with there mouths and spitting it out so in that sense i would think sand would be easier for them to dig. debris falls into the cracks of gravel making vacuuming harder


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## Comic Sans (Apr 21, 2009)

Dakuan said:


> Gravel is easier to clean and doesnt show up the fish gunk as much.


I disagree. It's true it doesn't show the fish gunk, but I always thoroughly vacuumed my gravel and when I switched I was AMAZED at the amount of detritus that had been missed or was inaccessible. Sand definitely leaves the waste right there, out in the open, but I am convinced my tank is now much cleaner.


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## bigcatsrus (Apr 15, 2009)

Its down to personal perefrence. I use gravel in all my tanks, 7 in total.

I throughly vacumm the gravel. I personally don't like to see the waste. The fish don't seem to mind that they have gravel. Yes ok you have to move rocks, wood, etc, etc to get the waste build up but not very often. All tanks get vacummed every 2-3 days.

With sand for what I have read, I don't like the idea of toxic gases building up and then having to carefully move the sand to release these gases.

Again down to persoanl perefrence.


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## jlos1213 (May 15, 2009)

Well, thanks everyone for the opinons. You've been a great help. I think I'll go ahead with the sand this time. I do like the way it looks. Something different for a change. I'll have one with gravel and one with sand...I'll see which one I like better for future tanks. As I'm sure I won't be stopping here.  I've seen the play sand at Home Depot and Lowes but was wondering if it's real dusty. Has anyone used it?


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## trigger (Sep 6, 2002)

jlos1213 said:


> Which is better for Malawi cichlids. Sand or gravel?


Since sand is in their natural habitat, I'd go for sand.

Personally I don't like gravel I've been tricked into gravel in one tank by my wife, but I am waiting for a chance to change that to sand.


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## Comic Sans (Apr 21, 2009)

jlos1213 said:


> I've seen the play sand at Home Depot and Lowes but was wondering if it's real dusty. Has anyone used it?


I have not used it in an aquarium, but every time I've used it it has lived up to the quote "dirtier than dirt."

I use silica sand and it is very clean.


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## jlos1213 (May 15, 2009)

Where do you buy silica sand? Is it expensive? I'm setting up a 55 gallon. How much do think I need? I was wondering about the play sand cause I know it's inexpensive........but don't want to end up with a tank full of cloudy water. Not worth the savings.


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## bulldogg7 (Mar 3, 2003)

I'm using caribsea ivory coast sand, about $25-30 for 50lbs, it's a bigger grain than playsand and doesn't get caught in my magfloat like my playsand did. The different colors in it make it hard to notice the poop, and it's still fine enough that everything stays on top to vacuum off easily(if you can find it). Well worth the extra $$$ IMO. I was a little upset with my playsand after scratching my new 180gal up with it :x 








took quite a bit of washing, but they make a wet mix also that doesn't need washing, I just didn't feel like paying for half a bag of water.


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## jlos1213 (May 15, 2009)

That sand looks nice...like the colors. Does it contain coral or is it just sand? :thumb: Don't know if I can find it in my area...but I'll look.


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## bulldogg7 (Mar 3, 2003)

it's a mix of fine gravel and crushed aragonite, I had to order it, most LFS can order their sands. I mainly got it for the larger grain size 1-2mm average, there's different colors and grades available
http://www.caribsea.com/pages/products/substrates.html

this was Lowes playsand, I liked it but the scratches I got from it :x and everything showed up on it








this is the new sand, since it's different colors your eyes aren't drawn to the little pile of poop that might be on top. With white sand a turd really stands out


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## ABangtson (Apr 25, 2006)

Pool filter sand - $8.00 per 50lb. bag. A little larger granules than regular sand. Heavy enough to be vacuumed with a siphon without being sucked out. Very clean. I do not even rinse mine before I put it in a tank.


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## Toby_H (Apr 15, 2005)

Pool Filter Sand is regulated in particle size where Play Sand is just sandâ€¦ So buying the largest grained PFS available will give you the larger grains which are better for cleaning and less likely to get into your filtersâ€¦ plus it does not contain the smaller particles that are a pain to clean, cloud water and get into filters (causing problems)â€¦ I use PFS in all of my tanksâ€¦ and is very inexpensive at $8 per 50 lb.

I also like the look of the stuff you and BullDog have been discussingâ€¦

I think itâ€™s funny how some people consider a fact a pro and otherâ€™s consider it a conâ€¦

I like that sand keeps the waste right on topâ€¦ it is much easier to clean and in my experience making tank maintenance easier is essentialâ€¦ gravel allows it to go unnoticed and in my experience â€œout of sight, out of mindâ€


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## rigidone5 (Jun 11, 2009)

That mix looks really nice Bulldog7! I use to have the white silica sand in my 55g. Now in my 155g I have a mix of small ag, not as small as yours. I do like the look, it looks very natural. They move my small stones around well, but they seemed to do it more when it was sand. I am now thinking of switching back to a sand product. How it it when you vacuum? Does it get sucked up in the tube?


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## bulldogg7 (Mar 3, 2003)

With mine I just vacuum it like sand, hose suspended off the substrate, I do suck some of it up occasionally, not much but a little. I tried a gravel vac just to see what would happen, it sucked the sand right up. 
When I had the playsand, sometimes I would vacuum about half of it out into a bucket and rewash it, sometimes it would actually be pretty dirty sometimes not. I haven't tried it with this stuff yet, I've only had it a few weeks.


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