Loaches Online Forum

what does everyone think is the best for freshwater tropical fish sand or gravel ????

iv always had sand for my tropical fish becouse i think is easyer to clean as you can suck the sand up but i was thinking witch is the best for fish

I have tanks with both, and each have their own positives and negatives.
I do not think there is one answer to your question.
I think gravel is easier to vacuum, and sand can get compressed and contain anaerobic pockets, which I have read can cause problems (though I have not experienced that directly).
I like BOTH types of tanks for different reasons. The tanks where I have fish that like to snuffle in the substrate for snacks are a great choice for sand, since they keep it aerated I have a tank with lovely little cores and the snootle around in the sand and enjoy keeping it open. Fast water flow tanks I think would do better with more stable substrate like gravel ( Hillstream type tanks )

glenna wrote:I have tanks with both, and each have their own positives and negatives.
I do not think there is one answer to your question.
I think gravel is easier to vacuum, and sand can get compressed and contain anaerobic pockets, which I have read can cause problems (though I have not experienced that directly).
I like BOTH types of tanks for different reasons. The tanks where I have fish that like to snuffle in the substrate for snacks are a great choice for sand, since they keep it aerated I have a tank with lovely little cores and the snootle around in the sand and enjoy keeping it open. Fast water flow tanks I think would do better with more stable substrate like gravel ( Hillstream type tanks )

thanks for that glenna makes me think even more tbh lol i hae two clown loachs and 5 neon tetras and im goin to add more fish with them soon there in a 60 liter tank at the mo but i am goin to put them in my 4ft tank soon te clowns are only small at the mo thay have sand in there tank thay like to lay on it so im thinking maybe i should put sand in my 4ft tank as i dont think thay would be verry comfy laying on gravel

jordan wrote:what does everyone think is the best for freshwater tropical fish sand or gravel ????

I prefer sand because many fish will dig and some will even bury themselves in it, but most of the fish I keep exhibit this behaviour (for example, earth eaters and Mbuna). I usually try to choose the substrate by what the fish are found on in the wild so that it best matches their need. Having said that, I can't think of a single fish which actually *needs* large gravel (like Dorset pea), but there are some which benefit from large, smooth rocks as part of the substrate.

glenna wrote:[…] sand can get compressed and contain anaerobic pockets, which I have read can cause problems (though I have not experienced that directly).

I have only had this problem a handful of times in 15 years of almost every "natural" substrate imaginable, but this can easily be prevented by stirring or agitating the substrate once every week or two, I found that keeping Malaysian trumpet snails will also prevent this problem, as keeping fish that dig. On the other hand, as long as the pockets are not disturbed, they do not pose a threat, but given that I keep all my tanks planted, I can't see how one can avoid disturbing the substrate occasionally. I also found that the problem is equally as likely to occur in fine gravel and can also occur in large gravel. It does predominantly occur in deeper substrate beds (2 inches / 5 cm or deeper). I think the biggest reason that it is more noticeable in sand substrates is that it sand never gets vacuumed, whereas gravel does, which has the same effect as agitating it by hand would.

KittyKat wrote:

jordan wrote:what does everyone think is the best for freshwater tropical fish sand or gravel ????

I prefer sand because many fish will dig and some will even bury themselves in it, but most of the fish I keep exhibit this behaviour (for example, earth eaters and Mbuna). I usually try to choose the substrate by what the fish are found on in the wild so that it best matches their need. Having said that, I can't think of a single fish which actually *needs* large gravel (like Dorset pea), but there are some which benefit from large, smooth rocks as part of the substrate.

glenna wrote:[…] sand can get compressed and contain anaerobic pockets, which I have read can cause problems (though I have not experienced that directly).

I have only had this problem a handful of times in 15 years of almost every "natural" substrate imaginable, but this can easily be prevented by stirring or agitating the substrate once every week or two, I found that keeping Malaysian trumpet snails will also prevent this problem, as keeping fish that dig. On the other hand, as long as the pockets are not disturbed, they do not pose a threat, but given that I keep all my tanks planted, I can't see how one can avoid disturbing the substrate occasionally. I also found that the problem is equally as likely to occur in fine gravel and can also occur in large gravel. It does predominantly occur in deeper substrate beds (2 inches / 5 cm or deeper). I think the biggest reason that it is more noticeable in sand substrates is that it sand never gets vacuumed, whereas gravel does, which has the same effect as agitating it by hand would.

thanksfor that kittykat im deffo keeping with the sand i think it looks more natural anyways but just thought i would ask just encase there was something i was missing lol

I think pool filter sand is the best !

It is small, very clean ( minimal rinsing ) and inexpensive
The kuhli and horseface loaches keep the sand aerated
The corys and loaches have barbels around their mouths that can get damaged and red with coarse gravel ...

zenins wrote:The corys and loaches have barbels around their mouths that can get damaged and red with coarse gravel ...

Actually, certain species of Corys have been known to prefer gravel when in the wild, choosing to stay in the gravely areas instead of sandy areas of the river, but it is true that most appear to have a preference for sand

KittyKat wrote:

zenins wrote:The corys and loaches have barbels around their mouths that can get damaged and red with coarse gravel ...

Actually, certain species of Corys have been known to prefer gravel when in the wild, choosing to stay in the gravely areas instead of sandy areas of the river, but it is true that most appear to have a preference for sand

thank you all for replying back becouse there is so meany options i think i will have a little resertch on it as i dont want my bottom feeders to be unconfy i want them to be confy as can be once there in the new tank lol thanks all again you have been a big help

The other thing to consider with bottom feeders is that most foods will disintegrate quickly and can fall through gravel, polluting it, while they would sit on top of the sand comfortably.

KittyKat wrote:The other thing to consider with bottom feeders is that most foods will disintegrate quickly and can fall through gravel, polluting it, while they would sit on top of the sand comfortably.

i have a tank cleaniner thing that sucks all the crap up from ou the sand so thats no problem with the polluting iv had plenty of tanks with sandn and he fih have lived for years kittykat but thanks for telling me

I use pool filter sand (it is not sharp, it is clean and it is cheap 50# for about $15). But you have to be careful adding water to the tank, so the sand doesn't get sucked into the filter, and cause the inpeller to be damaged. I also have black, rounded gravel.

starsplitter7 wrote:But you have to be careful adding water to the tank, so the sand doesn't get sucked into the filter, and cause the impeller to be damaged.

Good point, I usually have a sponge slipped over the filter intake as a pre-filter to make sure sand does not get sucked into the filter/impeller ...

I chose a #20 size silica sand for my new setup, has anyone had any pump ingestion issues with #20?

starsplitter7 wrote:I use pool filter sand (it is not sharp, it is clean and it is cheap 50# for about $15). But you have to be careful adding water to the tank, so the sand doesn't get sucked into the filter, and cause the inpeller to be damaged. I also have black, rounded gravel.

whats pool filter sand ??? and how do i stop itfrom goinup the filter

zenins wrote:

starsplitter7 wrote:But you have to be careful adding water to the tank, so the sand doesn't get sucked into the filter, and cause the impeller to be damaged.

Good point, I usually have a sponge slipped over the filter intake as a pre-filter to make sure sand does not get sucked into the filter/impeller ...

sponge slipper ? whats that