Sand vs. Gravel vs. Polished Stones

[jalora]

Howdy folks! Just bought a brand new 38-gallon tank and I'm curious about substrate. I love the way sand looks, but I've never had a tank with anything but gravel or polished stones. Does having sand in your tank require any extra work or preparation? This is by far the biggest tank I've ever had and I want to do it right. I'm working on an Amazon theme, so sand is the appropriate way to go, right?

 

[Cichlid-Man]

I find sand much easier to maintain. Its also a lot healthier for your fish IMO. I think sand looks 10 times better too.

Sand does not let waste get trapped in it like gravel, so all waste will sit on the top. All you have to do is hover the syphon above the sand and suck up the wastes.

Just run your fingers through it every once in a while to make sure there are no pockets of gasses building up.

 

[jalora]

Okay, I went out and bought three bags of Carib Sea black sand. Rinsed it very well, and theres still some floaty bits. I used a strainer lined with cheese cloth to catch the ultra-fine particles.

This will be my first real aquairum. When my camera batteries finished charging up, i"ll take some photos for you all.

 

[Big Vine]

Black sand for an Amazon theme setup, eh? Should look fantastic...fish will love it!

BV

 

[tom91970]

I think sand looks great. If I hadn't already put pea gravel in my 29g I would have used sand.

Looking forward to seeing your pics.