# Gravel, or sand?



## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Hello, I am getting really into the idea of sand. My gravel traps up so much crap, I swear my Betta gravel is WAY dirtier than my Goldfish gravel. I want to do something about that!

So, I was thinking of getting sand, but it seems like a ton of work. 

I also really want it for my Goldfish tank, what do you think? 

http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2753227&lmdn=Type


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## Bresn (Sep 1, 2011)

Well sand will look nice.


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## hedgehog (Sep 1, 2010)

Sand really isn't much more difficult to care for than gravel if at all. The only issue I have with sand is that after water changes the tank tends to look murky since the sand gets stirred up a bit.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

Yeah. I also think my Goldfish will eat it and stir it up.

My mom thinks it will look butt ugly, but I think it would look great.


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## Princess Penny (Aug 26, 2011)

Sand looks good and you can buy types that settle quickly and don't cloud up the water. Sand is also much easier to clean than gravel. I personally use the Petco brand sand in my tank and I love it.










You can also by pool filter sand or blasting sand from a hardware store for pretty cheap, if you need a large amount.


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

I was looking at black sand. Looks very nice in your tank.


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## SnowySurface (Apr 25, 2011)

I use the Tahitain Moon Black Sand in my tank. It was more difficult to set up than gravel, but now it is easier to maintain than gravel. When it's dirty I can use a turkey baster to suck up the waste that sits on the surface. It does take a while to settle if it gets disturbed, but I found ways to add water during water changes to make sand disturbance a minimum. So far I love sand way more than I loved gravel.
Just make sure your sand doesn't say it's good for coral reefs or made from aragonite. Those sands are just for salt water tanks and can screw with your pH a bit. The sand will be obviously wrong for fresh water tanks because the bag will say stuff like, "Bring the sea to your livingroom" or "Nutriants essential for your coral growth." As long as the bag says it's good for fresh and salt water fish (and doesn't say anything about coral), you will be fine. I figured I would put that out there since I made that kind of mistake when I was looking for sand. Then I lost the receipt and couldn't return it for the right sand. I learned my lesson the expensive way. XD
Edit: I didn't notice your link until after I posted a reply. Since you are looking at the sand I am using, you can ignore half my post. Your tank's pH will be fine. Also that sand really brings out the color of my bettas. It should look very nice with any decore.


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## fightergirl2710 (Jun 9, 2011)

Sand is much better in my opinion. Its classy, easier to clean and the dirt just sits on top, all you have to do is rake it every few weeks. Also if you have a goldie, sand is even better because they like to sift through substrate looking for food. Smaller pieces of gravel can be swallowed causing impaction in the digestive tract. Sand is more easily passed. 
This is a good sand tutorial: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=17268


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## Bloeduwedd (Aug 13, 2011)

I use sand in all my tanks, and I love it. It's very easy to clean! Everything just sits on top, so you can just go over it with a vac and suck everything up. No need to stir up anything. I also think it looks better than gravel, more natural. Definitely will be using it instead of gravel in any future tanks


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## BettaMiah (Sep 12, 2011)

I will be getting some, because I am upgrading, I am making my tanks look better. It will be beautiful!


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I just want to add a note of caution if you ever get shrimp. I love my sand to pieces, but I have it in a 16 gallon community that includes a RCS breeding colony. I vaccuum it every single morning and by the evening, it's covered in shrimp poo again. It's looks very beautiful clean, but for me it is so much more work than gravel. 
Then again, in a shrimpless tank, this probably isn't an issue.


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## elijahfeathers (Oct 15, 2010)

I wanted sad but I wasn't sure if I wanted to commit to buying a ton for my tanks. So I got a new little 2.5 gallon and I bought 1 bag of black sand from a pet store. It took three days to settle and at first it looked really terrible. But the air bubbles are gone now and I'm starting to really like the look of it, and getting used to doing water changes with it. lol c: I like it.


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## TL1000RSquid (Sep 25, 2011)

elijahfeathers said:


> I wanted sad but I wasn't sure if I wanted to commit to buying a ton for my tanks. So I got a new little 2.5 gallon and I bought 1 bag of black sand from a pet store. It took three days to settle and at first it looked really terrible. But the air bubbles are gone now and I'm starting to really like the look of it, and getting used to doing water changes with it. lol c: I like it.



caribsea tahitian black? I have that in one of my tanks and it did take a day or so to settle even though i rinsed it good before putting it in the tank. My local fish store sells sand I think called "Natural Wonders" thats pretty clean no rinsing and was clear off the bat along with being 1/3 the price of the caribsea stuff.


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