# difference between gravel and sand



## southamericancichlidguy23 (Oct 22, 2009)

ok i see tons people with sand and less with gravel or rocks latly is sand better in freshwater my thots were it cant be good for the filter if it gets up in there grinding on the moving parts but im not sure i admit it looks nicer i would love to have it how does one go about this


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

i actually just replaced my gravel for sand about 3 weeks ago....i just too my fish out of the tank and put them in a temp tank with an aerator, removed all my decos, scooped out the gravel with a net and put the sand in. just make sure you rinse the sand VERY well before adding it and use tank water for the temp holding tank. i made the mistake of not rincing it and it turned my tank wter BLACK for about 36 hours and 7 days and a whole lot of PWC to get my tank back to the crystal clear water


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## southamericancichlidguy23 (Oct 22, 2009)

wow crazy can were do u get the white sand i see everybody with


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## southamericancichlidguy23 (Oct 22, 2009)

is sand good with a oscar and firemouth and pleco or does it matter which fish and how do u get ur name to say 
20 gallon tank 
1 fish 
1 fish 
2 fish 
u get the point


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

it under the user cp and it is your signature.....the sand i have in my tank is actually cichlid sand (dont have any cichlids) but my lfs recommended it.....as far as i know it should be fine....but i am new at all this so i may be wrong


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## southamericancichlidguy23 (Oct 22, 2009)

do u knw if plants will grow with the sand in the tank or does it have to be gravel


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## southamericancichlidguy23 (Oct 22, 2009)

that would be cool if they did


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## southamericancichlidguy23 (Oct 22, 2009)

how do u get the picture on the left everytime u send a message


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

i just started putting plants in my tank and as far as i know the sand is fine for them.....under user cp and its called avatar


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## southamericancichlidguy23 (Oct 22, 2009)

cool i wann grow moss up my driftwood


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

see your status change?? now you are a "member"


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## southamericancichlidguy23 (Oct 22, 2009)

i am


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## southamericancichlidguy23 (Oct 22, 2009)

i am holy crap


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

lol


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## southamericancichlidguy23 (Oct 22, 2009)

im exicted now


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## xrayjeeper83 (Sep 6, 2009)

Do you have to do anything different to clean the sand or just with a filter when you do the water cahnge. How does it do with hiding fish leavings and food? Does your snail do good at cleaning the bottom?


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## southamericancichlidguy23 (Oct 22, 2009)

lol all good questions i dont knw


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

if you use a vaccuum you just have to be a little more gentle so you dont suck up all the sand.....no my snail SUCKS at cleaning the bottom, my ghost shrimp and cory do all the dirty work....my snail is spoiled i usually hand feed him


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## Rohland (Aug 20, 2009)

its easier to vacuum gravel than sand. Its a little harder. I personally think it would be easier just to ram a gravel vacuum into the gravel instead of trying to pick up poo floating on the surface of the sand. Many people use sand because they have fish that will hurt themselves on gravel like cory catfish.


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## molliefan09 (Sep 21, 2009)

i originally got the sand for my ADF, i had no intentions on getting corys but i figured since i made the switch id get some.....it is MUCH harder to clean sand then gravel with a vaccuum


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## southamericancichlidguy23 (Oct 22, 2009)

lol maybe i just keep the gravel i have enough work as it is lol


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## teddyzaper (Aug 30, 2009)

GET SAND! plants grow a lot better in sand, looks better, fish cant hurt themselfs. when u clean ur sand u put it in a bucket and poor water in, stir, drain, and repeat until the water ur porring out is clear. its not that hard to clean, just drag ur hand ifront of the vacume to stirr up the sand then vacume over it. u can get the white sand from almost any online pet store, type in aquarium substrate for sale on google and you should find some places. good places: dr foster & smith, petsolutions, that pet and fish place.


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## xrayjeeper83 (Sep 6, 2009)

So you can still use a regular vacuum?


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## southamericancichlidguy23 (Oct 22, 2009)

k does it matter if i get the eletric blue sand or the normal sand sand is sand right


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## ChristinaRoss (Sep 4, 2009)

i personally got my sand at home depot. its the sand thats called "play sand" for use in childrens sandboxes, i rinsed it till it went clear, i love the way it looks, i think its easier than gravel because once u suck up the debris u actually SEE that its clean, with gravel ur left wondering if u got it all. my plants are thriving in the sand as well.


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