Sand in aquarium

What are the pros and cons of having sand in an aquarium?

I loved having sand in my wild caught African cichlid aquarium that I used to have. It was easy to make sure that all the pooped got siphoned out on cleaning day and it looked incredibly natural and real. The only issue that I would watch out for is having your filter inlet too close too the bottom. Sand grains sucked in over time will wear down componentry in the filter if sucked in, leading to a noise filter of which the impeller will eventually fail. Keep your inlet high and you'll be fine.

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps9c7026ce.jpg

http://i240.photobucket.com/albums/f...ps95cf2989.jpg

I had sand once for two years.
you can not use an underground filter
It will be moved around very easy, away from the back and other pieces.

I've thought of use sand in the front half and gravel in the back, only con is separating it for cleaning! ;-)

Should i turn off the filter after siphoning or water changes?