View Full Version : Brands of Gravel
Aquarius0015
12-08-2003, 1:08 AM
Is there a specific brand of natural looking gravel that you would suggest for healthy cories? There are just so many out there, I get overwhelmed. I do not want sand because I want to be able to vacuum my tank, but the rounded pebbles I see for sale are a little bit bigger than common "multi-colo(u)r" gravel and I think this might be too heavy for the cories to move around easily.
marsupialvomit
12-14-2003, 12:04 PM
dolomite if you got some money and a big tank. What I always tried was to put the gravel through a rock tumbler but ive never had one so the idea is null.
lesley
12-15-2003, 3:34 PM
If you have a rock-yard nearby (a place that sells rocks and gravel for construction, landscape, that kind of stuff) they might have more of a selection.
Dolomite, calcium magnesium carbonate, will make the water very hard, so I don't think this is very good choice for an Amazonian fish.
Slappy*McFish
12-15-2003, 7:00 PM
Estes brand gravels are among the best. Buy the finest size available. Some good natural color selections are: 'Bits of walnut', 'Blend o de River', and 'Shallow Creek.'
Aquarius0015
12-15-2003, 11:47 PM
'Bits of walnut', 'Blend o de River', and 'Shallow Creek.'
Lol, sounds a bit like the Martha Stewart Everyday collection for aquarium substrate, but I'll keep an eye out for it at the LFS. But do they have Honey Pear and Irish Breeze?
marsupialvomit
12-21-2003, 12:29 AM
go for onyx, it's complete sex. I'm sort of pissed I bought dolomite because it's ability to buffer my water to 8 and suck hard.
kveeti
12-21-2003, 10:28 AM
Originally posted by Aquarius0015
but the rounded pebbles I see for sale are a little bit bigger than common "multi-colo(u)r" gravel
Can't answer anything useful, but I loved the multi-country spelling on the word!
Catlid
12-29-2003, 7:23 PM
i got 60 pounds of Carib Sea Aragonite in my 55 g african cichlid tank, worth the 66 bucks it cost me.
Again, neither Onyx nor aragonite are best choices for an Amazonian tank. Onyx' buffering power is limited but real. Aragonite is great for Rift Lakes (I used it also), but poor for soft acid rain forest - it will boost the hardness and pH indefinitely..
agree with rtr.......
i've got some mini walnut stuff that seems like it would be excellent, unfortunately i don't know the brand anymore. whatever "natural" type petco sells......... :rolleyes:
Gunnie
01-01-2004, 5:55 PM
If you have live plants in the tank, eco-complete might be a good choice. It's not cheap, but you wouldn't have to fool with fertilizer tabs later on, & it's supposed to have some of the necessary bacteria to cycle a tank quicker. It's also black in color which a lot of people like.