# Sand or Gravel.



## ReBoot (Oct 31, 2006)

I have never had sand, but my wife said she thinks it would 'Look nice' with sand. Or she thinks it would. If I go the route of sand and appease her with sand, I can usually bargain other fish items \ etc. How hard is sand to manage? How easy does it clean? Anything else about sand people know from experience.

Currently I am almost locked onto buying 125 lbs of gravel for a 135. 100 black and 25 red.

I know sand is cheaper, but does it come colored or no?


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## zippa (Apr 29, 2005)

Yes you can get colored sand.....

I would use gravel.....and I would only use the 100lbs of black gravel....You will kick yourself if you add the 25lbs of red to it.

Sand can get sucked up into your filters and power heads do damage in the long run...Just think about how much sand your fish will kick up as adults when they frenzy....Some ppl love sand and I agree it looks great but so does natural or black gravel....

Unless planting heavily 100 lbs of gravel in a 135 gal tank will be just about right...If it's a little thin it will be that much easier to vac.


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## rockymax (Feb 12, 2007)

well i agree with your wife, sand looks amazing. however, i do hear its very hard to maintain. ive thought about switching to sand from gravel but then id have all this gravel sitting aroun with nowhere to go. but yea the last thing you need is sand all in your powerhead and filter. getting the right color gravel with the right plants can look just as good without the mess


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## ReBoot (Oct 31, 2006)

I am considering putting some java moss on the driftwood. I want the tank to be open for most part, but I want it to be aesthetically pleasing also since it will be a large visual in the room. I haven't bought any java moss yet because it is still cold out, and I am afraid it would die during shipping. I am considering some dwarf hairgrass also perhaps.


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## sma (Feb 14, 2007)

I personally like sand better than gravel. Get pool filter sand, it is much heavier than play sand and will not clog your filters. It is pretty easy to clean, just put your vacuum close so all the crap gets sucked up but not to close so the sand doesnt get sucked up.

I have some extra java moss that i can sell to you. about 2.5 cups more or less. I don't think they will die in the cold because they can withstand a lot of temps. let me know if you're interested


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## karl ramsdell (Oct 28, 2006)

where can u buy a 100lb bag of black gravel? the stuff at the LFS is pricey. i want t switch to black gravel because the white gravel i have now makes the fish look very light in color.


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## itstheiceman (Oct 5, 2006)

karl ramsdell said:


> where can u buy a 100lb bag of black gravel? the stuff at the LFS is pricey. i want t switch to black gravel because the white gravel i have now makes the fish look very light in color.


you could maybe go to a landscaping site and ask them what they have, i agree LFS is pricey


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## ReBoot (Oct 31, 2006)

I am going to manage 125 lbs of gravel for 55.00, at 2.00 per 5lb bag. I hsve a small LFS that is more for the experienced fish owner. He swings me deals when I buy more \ or more expensive items. I thought 55 was a sweet deal for 125 lbs of gravel? What do you guys think?


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## eightreds (Mar 2, 2007)

I had gravel for 5 years and decided to switch to black sand, i have had it now for 1 month and it seems to be fine...not much kick up when the fish are feeding so my filters have been sand free. Also you can shape the sand unlike the gravel. I used 100lbs for my 90g.


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