gravel

[ciccia]

Hello all! New member.

I recently purchased kuhli loaches and an elephant nose for my 46 gal, freshwater aquaria. 70 far. 7.2. PH.

I've learned that these creatures like fine gravel or even sand.

Currently I have medium sized gravel for my substrate. I would lilke to introduce fine gravel or sand to accomdate the loaches and elephant.

Could someone advise on introducing the new gravel? Bad idea? I'm thinking small portions at a time. Whats the best method to prepare the gravel before entering it into the enviroment; boil, rinse?

Also, could someone recommend a type of small grain gravel suitable for my conditions? $$ is not an issue. A website would be helpful.

Thanks for your time.
Ciccia

[Heady]

If $$ is not an issue and you'd like your tank to be planted I would suggest onyx sand. I wanted it for my own tank but am not willing to spend the $200 for my 100 gallon tank.

[wetmanNY]

It's true your fish would like finer substrate to root in, but the gravel you have wont be a problem. Don't try to add sand or gravel into a setup-- it always makes a mess and it can be stressful.

More important to the kuhlis: do they have good narrow dark hideouts? A little space under a couple of flat rocks? Or a coconut shell?

[ciccia]

It's true your fish would like finer substrate to root in, but the gravel you have wont be a problem. Don't try to add sand or gravel into a setup-- it always makes a mess and it can be stressful. [I


Stressful to me or the fish?:D

[OrionGirl]

The fish--lots of dust floating around in the water column irritates their gills. They can stand it for a while, depending on the species, but it isn't great for them.