Gravel and plant questions

Cribbinator

Cribbinator

Fish are Friends, Not Food
May 26, 2004
89
0
0
Alpharetta, GA
www.thecribbs.com
Hello,

I have a couple of questions regarding gravel and plants:

1. How much gravel should be placed in the the aveage tank ? I've read intructions stating from 1" to 3" of gravel; 3" seems kind of high to me. Is the less amount of gravel better ? Does having an undergravel filter affect the amount of gravel you will need ?

2. I read somewhere that sloping your gravel to the rear of your tank helps with the flow of waste to a specific area ? Is this a good idea ?

2. What is better gravel or sand ? Is sand only used for live plants ?

3. Are there any benefits to live plants in a tank ?

4. What requirements to live plants have ? Do you have to use sand instead of gravel for them to grow ? Can you do a mix ?

5. Do most freshwater fish coexist with live plants ?

Sorry for the large amount of questions but as always all of you are very informative and helpful.

Take care,

James C
 
Cribbinator said:
Hello,

I have a couple of questions regarding gravel and plants:
Click to expand...

You might want to try this in the "Aquatic Plants" Forum here at AC. But lemme take a stab at it now...

1.) 2-3" of rich substrate is best for plants. By "rich," I mean something like Flourite or Onyx 'Sand' (which isn't really sand). You can defer your costs on the rich substrate by mixing it with similar-sized gravel, about 1/2 and 1/2 should work well. DON'T use an undergravel filter, as the plant roots will enmesh and grow into it, making pruning and plant removal difficult.

2.) Eh, that's a personal preference. Low spots DO tend to collect "mulm" more, and I've known folks to design a low area to collect mulm for removal. That is ONE train of thought however, the other train is that mulm is fertilizer, why would you take it out?

2a.) Again, rich substrate is your best bet. Flourite is popular, and I can attest that Onyx 'Sand' works pretty well. "Sand" sand can be used, but won't help your plants much.

3.) Live plants lower your fish stress greatly, and gives them a place to hide. Live plants can also lower nitrAtes, just by their feeding habits.

4.) Plant requirements depend on the type of plant. Low-light plants need far fewer nutrients and light than a bright-light plant. And yes, you can mix your substrates.

5.) Not all FW fish will do well with plants. Larger cichlids and catfish are prolly out, as they like to dig and destroy. Smaller fish, and fish that don't eat plants, will be your best bet.


Again, I suggest you come on over to the Aquatic Plant Forum here at AC. We have a great deal of collective experience and some stickied topic threads that will help a great deal.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
AquariaCentral.com
Top Bottom