Type of gravel for 2 large goldfish?

[mygoldfishmylife 51]

Hi all! I currently have a bare bottom because it's the easiest to clean. I have a 55 gallon tank with 2 large goldfish. I used to use marble as substrate (about half an inch thick) but it would trap so much waste and make siphoning take so much longer. I'm afraid if I get actual gravel, my fish would suck it up since they like to scavenge among the gravel. What type of gravel do you recommend for larger goldfish? Thank you!

[FishyMandy 6,277]

I would recommend Sand over actual gravel

[dahling8 97]

I'm a big fan of sand too!  Not more than a half inch thick works for me, so it's quite easy to stir up and siphon the waste. 

[Arctic Mama 3,626]

I just do the thinnest layer of sand, like, a cup for the whole tank.  The bottom shows through but it gives them enough to forage through and cuts the glare of the lights off the bottom.

[mygoldfishmylife 51]

Thank you for your inputs! I was going to ask, how would you prevent toxic gas pockets from happening and releasing into the tank? Using a cup of sand is a good idea. 

Also, if you were to decide to take out the sand of the aquarium.... how would you go around that? I'm sure that would be a pain

[Arctic Mama 3,626]

I scoop it out with a cup or bowl, and use airline tubing as a siphon to remove any of the rest I want out.  The narrow gauge of the tubing makes a pretty powerful substrate sucker

[dahling8 97]

With my tanks with a thin layer of sand, I paint the outside bottom of the tank a flat black.  When sand does get pushed aside, it still looks quite natural and without any glare too.

[Arctic Mama 3,626]

I haven’t found the outside paint does much to cut glare but it is certainly better than just a straight mirror bottom!

We have black foam interlocking mats under my tank. Those are also pretty matte (no pun intended) and distribute the weight a little to prevent pressure spots on the acrylic.  Theoretically speaking, anyway.

[dahling8 97]

I love the look of acrylic tanks, but there's not much love in return!    I look at it funny and scratches magically appear.