I have a 50G tank with a few african cichlids in it. I have today take all the gravel out to clean the tank, using a small plastic hose hooked up to the filter to really clean the tank. I am taking the filters out from time to time to clean them, then reinsert them. It is really working out great. Anywhoo, now is my chance to make a few changes. Do you guys recommend gravel or sand? I kinda don't like the gravel I have, its the normal colors, a mix really. Is sand easy to use in a tank like this? What do you guys recommend here, thanks!
Sand or Gravel?
- Thread starter stechservices
- Start date
If what you are saying is that you have an undergravel filter then I would say that no you should not replace your gravel with sand. I don't, however, use UGFs myself so hopefully someone else will chime in.
i wouldnt use sand with any type of UGF, RUGF or not, otherwise its going to be all around your tank, clogging up your filters, and making your miserable with water changes.
anyway, if you change your gravel, you are going to be throwing away a bunch of bacteria that help get rid of ammoina and nitrite in your tank
anyway, if you change your gravel, you are going to be throwing away a bunch of bacteria that help get rid of ammoina and nitrite in your tank
yup, so it's recommended to keep some of the old gravel in some pantyhose or filter media bag on top of the new stuff. It's best to keep gravel from the top layers where there was the most oxygen and hence, most of your good bacteria were living.