Pet Forum / Aquaria / Goldfish / July 2004

All the sand sinks, so the water is clear. The goldfish do eat mouthfulls
and then spit it out. Gravel can sometimes be just that little bit big and a
fish can end up with a stone stuck in its mouth. All of mine have always
been able to get the stone out eventually but I believe it is a common cause
of death. You don't get this with sand. Plus any mess the fish make does not
sink down below the sand and get stuck like it does with gravel, so it will
usually end up getting sucked up by the filter, and if not, then by you when
you hoover out the tank.

All in all I think it's a better option for big messy goldfish; though
that's just my opinion based on my own experience.