Do you prefer sand or gravel?

[MaxGreenMDE]

Or what would you recommend for my little 1 gal bowl.

I really hate the beads I'm using now shown here



they were such a nuisance when putting the heater in and I suspect that when I go to put decorations in they won't make the plants and such very stable.

Also when I do get the new "flooring" how do I go about switching it without having to "start all over" with the water? Or is there no way to do that?

[Ciomara1202]

I have one tank with sand and another with gravel . I find the sands easier to clean , and looks nicer .I also have one that has special beneficial bacteria to help plants grow ... but I think most Betta tanks are too small to get the cycle going , oh and my hubby killed all my plants last week -.- . Lol

[MaxGreenMDE]

Originally Posted by Ciomara1202

I have one tank with sand and another with gravel . I find the sands easier to clean , and looks nicer .I also have one that has special beneficial bacteria to help plants grow ... but I think most Betta tanks are too small to get the cycle going , oh and my hubby killed all my plants last week -.- . Lol

Thanks I'm not getting any live plants because I hear it's hard to keep them alive so I think the fake ones will do just fine. Especially since my bowl is so small it's probably best I stick with the fake ones.

[Olympia]

You could actually stick a java fern in there with no maintenance at all :p they need like no special light, or fertilizer. Or silk plants would work too, I guess it's personal preference.

What do you mean by start all over with the water? In a 1gal, you should change the water 100% 3 times a week. I'd recommend gravel for that tank, just cause you can easily rinse it out. It's really hard to cycle a 1gallon tank, so don't worry about helpful bacteria, that's more a large tank thing. Also, just a suggestion, fill up the tank a little bit more ;)

[Jrf456]

While I agree with Olympia in some aspects, cleaning the water 3 times a week is a little much. In a one gallon, you should be doing 2 100% changes a week. I guess it's all personal preference though, so do what's best for you.

[dormfish]

I prefer gravel myself, though i do love how sand looks, especially when a thin layer of natural-colored rocks is sprinkled over it. Makes for a nice natural look. I have a friend whose tank has a substrate set up this way, and with natural plants, it look gorgeous!

ANYWAYS TANGENT!! XD I've never used sand, but I always wonder, you can't use a gravel siphon with it, can you? It seems like it would just get sucked up into the bucket... how does one clean sand?

[ManInBlack2010]

i LOVE the look of sand tanks but i've been having problems with it making my tank cloudy (i guess i'm not too good at pouring the water in gently *facepalm*) so i'm starting to think gravel is still a good way to go. in small tanks like yours i like using the large gems, i bought my cousin a small 2.5g tank kit for christmas and got her different colored gems that matched the colors of the walls in her room and thought it looked nice. if i ever get any more small tanks i'm probably going to opt for that

[Bombalurina]

I have both sand and gravel and something in between spread between my three tanks, and whilst sand is easy to care for in my big tank, I think it would be an absolute pain in a small tank where 100% changes are a necessity.

Also, +1 to Olympia - java fern, java moss and anubias are all super easy to take care of (read: they require pretty much no care at all).

[thekoimaiden]

I think for small tanks gravel is much better. It's the easiest to clean and very forgiving with water pouring. I plan to upgrade my community tank to sand but that is only because I have burrowing fish. Another plus side of gravel to sand is you don't have to worry as much about anoxia in the sediment. If you have sand, you need to have some form of aerators like Malaysian trumpet snails or plants or burrowing fish. Gravel can get anoxic if you don't do a gravel vac once in a while, but it takes a lot of buildup to get there.

Also +1 to the plant idea. Anbias and moss balls have to be the hardiest things in the aquarium industry. I've tried to kill those things and not succeeded. Java fern is a beast, too (once had some survive in a dark room with no lights at all for about 2 months; granted it was barely alive but it came back).

[Olympia]

Just 2 questions about sand while we talk about it:
1. Can you stir sand yourself, if so how often should you?
2. Will sand get sucked up an aquarium vaccuum?