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Sand vs Gravel

2K views 42 replies 10 participants last post by  babystarz 
#1 ·
So....I'm kind of torn between which to get for my new Betta fish's habitat.....I like the look of sand but I fear that when it comes to cleaning, its going to be pretty difficult. Could someone list me the pros and cons to each so that I can make an informed decision? I'm getting excited. Going to pick up my betta fish next week!


Also, another question while I'm making a post and I don't want to make multiple threads.....when I go about prepping the water for him, do I have to treat the water then let it sit for about 24 hours before slowly acclimatising him or is it okay if I add water treatment then add him right away?

Thanks in advance all!
 
#2 ·
Sand - Beautiful. I have it in both of my tanks. It's fairly easy to clean. As long as you get a good brand. CaribSea SuperNaturals is what I use for my 20G... It's fine grained, and it doesn't cloud my water at all... It also never altered my parameters. :D Just be sure to clean it very well at first, rinse, rinse, rinse! Fish poop and other wastes also don't go under the sand, it stays on top. Very hard to see, if you choose a nice complimentary color.
For cleaning, just hover the siphon over the waste thingy and the siphon will suck it right up. :) Just don't get too close. Also, if you will get a filter, turn the filter off until the water change is done.

Gravel - I used it in the past. Natural looking, as long as you keep the algae under control. Food and waste fall in between the slits. It'll take longer for the water change to complete. I recommend Top Fin. :)

After you add the conditioner, the water is ready. Aging the water with the conditioner in is just a waste of time.
 
#3 ·
SAND! I love it, it looks so natural and is just as easy to clean as gravel. Just take your vacuum to it and it will be fine.

You can acclimate your betta right after you treat the water unless the directions say otherwise.
 
#4 ·
Thats wonderful. Thanks you two! I'll opt for the sand. My major concern was that it would cloud the water, should I just throw it into a sieve and rinse rinse rinse rinse until the water runs clear? How should I prep this sand. I was also worried that when I hoover the sand it would get hoovered up but I guess if the waste stays on top then it shouldn't be an issue! Thats great!
 
#8 ·
Nope. But it's simple.

Just rinse away the floating particles. :) You can put it in a bucket and put in a hose and let it run. You can wait for 10 minutes then it should be okay. You can use play sand or pool-filter sand, too.
 
#10 ·
Both are great they both look very nice depending on what kind you buy and how well you will maintain it.but we know that you wont let your betta fishys tank turn in to murky alga cover mess so go ahead and try the sand because lots of people suggest it and if you don't like it you can switch to gravel
 
#12 ·
I'll go with the CaribSea Sand. Some variation of it anyways. While we're on the topic......I'm planning on getting some fake plants.....I remember in the past I had a tough time keeping the plants from floating up. Any tips on how to keep them anchored to the sand? Thanks again in advance
 
#13 ·
I use Quikrete Fine Grain sand. It's completely inert silica and does not need to be washed before hand. It also has such fine particles that they settle instantly. You just have to be careful adding water to the tank because you'll create a sandstorm if you pour too fast. Best part: it's $4 for a 50 pound bag at Home Depot or Lowes. It looks like white beach sand. I've been using it for my planted tanks for over a year with no negative effects.

You can buy plant weights, just make sure you know what they're made of so you don't have metal corroding in your tank.
 
#24 ·
I use Quikrete Fine Grain sand. It's completely inert silica and does not need to be washed before hand. It also has such fine particles that they settle instantly. You just have to be careful adding water to the tank because you'll create a sandstorm if you pour too fast. Best part: it's $4 for a 50 pound bag at Home Depot or Lowes. It looks like white beach sand. I've been using it for my planted tanks for over a year with no negative effects
I think I'll look into this sand. I want to switch my 10 gallon tank over to sand because I just got panda cories. Do you have any cories or similar fish in with this kind?

Has anyone used petcos freshwater sand? It comes in black and white, I didn't look at it in the store, but one of the reviews on the website said its not really a fine sand but more like tiny pebbles.
 
#14 ·
I use river stones as weights. If the plant already has a base, you can use aquarium silicone to glue a rock to it. If you don't want the plant to be any taller than it already is, glue a rock to the side of the base, rather than setting the base on top of the rock and gluing it stacked. If the plant doesn't have a base, here's what I do: I get a river stone, wrap it in fishing line several times, knot the line securely to the rock, and then spread a thin layer of aquarium cement along the knot and fishing line on one side so it doesn't slip off. I cut the excess line after the glue dries. You can try just wrapping the rock without gluing, but it may slip loose over time.
 
#15 ·
Here's a pic of what I mean. If you want to re-use the rock, tie a little bead on it like I did. Then you can thread string through the bead and tie plants to it as many times as you want. I use these rocks in a bare-bottom tank, so I used a tiny clear bead. If you're going to bury the anchor rock in gravel, you might as well use a bigger bead. It's easier to run string through a bigger bead.
 

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#22 ·
Thanks for your help =). I'm just in the midst of getting everything ready and setting everything up before I even get a betta fish. Figured it'd be my best bet to ask the pros before I actually get him and put him in! Doing all my research before i jump into it!!
 
#27 ·
Thanks! Do you have any cories by any chance? I'm only switching because I just got a few cories and I know they do better on sand. If you remember, I divided my ten gallon for the two boys. It just did not work out. I gave it time, I made the divider opaque, I put plants in the way...they never chilled out. Maybe they would have if I gave it more time, but the CT started tail biting and it was getting worse and worse. Then I saw the VTs tail was raggedy, and I don't have anything in the tank he could have injured it on...enough was enough. I put the vt in a 5 gallon, and I added 4 panda cories to captain hooks 10 gallon. They're SO much happier. I was a little worried about him going after the cories but it seems like he actually enjoys their company. It was the best thing I did.

Anyway, I've been searching around and some people say TMS is too sharp for cories?? I wonder if other caribsea sands would be better, I kind of like the look of white also. I wonder if people aren't being overly crazy about one sand vs another in that regard though, I'm sure the TMS is probably just fine.
 
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