Phil Williamson wrote:

Hi all,

I've just come back from my LFS and the guy said somethings about sand that
made sense. He said that since it's so dense, all the crap stays on the
surface of the sand rather than making it's way into it. That was you only
have to vacuum the surface rather than poking into the sand.

What do you guys think? Do you like sand?

Phil...

He's right about the density. Which helps with crap cleaning, but if the
sand layer is too thick, due to the density water may not flow through
it well. Then oxygen-poor spots can form, and if there's anything that
can rot in those areas it can release poison gas.
That said I liked sand the few times I've used it (it was coarse sand
and I didn't use much). You'll notice with very small aquariums sand
substrate looks better because it's more to scale with the small tank.
Coarser gravel would look a bit chunky.
Oh, is sand for sandboxes for children to play in good for aquarium use?

Seb