can the following be used as gravel?
- Thread starter gagaliya
- Start date
VID said:
If I plan on having live plants in there, should I not go with the sand? What makes the sand not do well with planted?
Kim
Kim, it's been my experience with planted tanks that sand by itself doesn't do that well for plants. For planted tanks I use layered substate and try for a grain size of a zero-"0". I think sand by itself is too fine and gets compacted too densely to allow nutrients to reach the roots. Also, if the sand is deep enough it can go anaerobic and that can be dangerous to the fish and you if it releases H2S.
Hope this isn't another crooked record.
Mark
Hope this isn't another crooked record.
Mark
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I use pea stone that i bought for 2.99$ a bag from a garden centre. Much cheaper than the epoxy covered stuff at the fish store (which would have run me about $40). The size is pretty much the same.
wesleydnunder said:
Do plants grow better in gravel? I'd like a somewhat natural looking tank...atleast some real plants in it.
Kim
Hi kim. As I stated I use layers in planted tanks. For my main substrate I like blasting sand, size "0" , pronounced "ought". It looks natural and the grain size is perfect. One caution on this stuff. Sometimes you get more fines in the bag than the grains you're looking for. The last bag I bought, $6.96 for 80 lb, was mostly fine sand which I sifted out using water and an old colander. I've used blasting sand for the last twenty years and use it in un-planted tanks as well. Makes a great bed for u/g filtering too. It is much cheaper than the gravel from the LFS and I find it at a local concrete material supplier. It's pretty dusty right out of the bag so I always make sure to rinse it thoroughly. Good luck.
Mark
Mark
wesleydnunder said:
Hi Mark, can you tell me more about what you use in your layers and how you clean it? Or maybe give me a shove in the right direction of articles that use the same method you do?
Kim
Sure Kim. For the bottom layer I mix equal parts crushed lava rock(pumice), organic composted peat and charcoal. I spread this mixture evenly about 1/4 inch thick. On top of this goes an evenly spread 1/2 inch of blasting sand fines. These are smaller grains than the 0 size yet larger than play sand or sugar sand grains. I think this is important to permit nutrient migration and allows better convection current from my heaters. The next layer is a 50/50 mixture of blasting sand and a prepared substrate like Seachem Onyx. The one I use is dark gray but other colors of those type substrates are available. I've seen Seachem Florite in different colors. This layer goes in about an inch thick. This layer is also where I start contouring the bottom. The top layer is blasting sand, from maybe 3/4 of an inch thick in the front of the tank to an inch or inch and a half at the back. I finish the bottom contour in this layer. It is also the only layer I rinse before it goes in. Sometimes I make the top layer a little thicker. Usually I wind up with a 3 to 4 inch thick substrate. Once planted I never vaccuum it with a gravel bell. I also use substrate heating and since I think the prices on substrate cable heating systems are a little high, I cheat. They make a heat pad for reptile terraria that has an adhesive on one side that sticks it to the bottom glass of the tank. They are low wattage heaters and I use several small ones on the tank bottom in stead of one big one. I use the kind that just plug in to a 120v wall receptacle and don't have a controller. I keep a heater in the tank for backup but it seldom comes on as the heat pads don't turn on and off but provide steady, low heat. If the tank gets too warm I just unplug one. Substrate heating causes a small convection current in the substrate that moves oxygen and nutrients to the roots. Also in nature the soil in the bottom of a river is usually a little warmer than the water so the plant's roots are warmer than its leaves. I don't know any websites to direct you toward but I'm certain someone here does. This is by no means the only way to set up a planted tank. It just works for me. Hope this helps.
Mark
Mark
wesleydnunder said:
Can you buy crushed lava at the LFS? What about organic composted peat?
Where do you find these?
Did you mean you *don't* vaccuum it? How do you clean the fish waste off the surface?
I use those on my hermit crabitats. For a 54 gallon corner tank what size would you recommend? Should it cover most of the bottom of the tank?
That is really interesting to me and I appreciate you taking the time to explain it to me. Do you ever need to mix up the layers at all? And how long can the substrate be left alone? (does it need to be replaced after so many months, for example)
Kim
OK, we'll take those one at a time:
1. I get the composted peat and lava rock at Lowes. Any DIY store or gardening center should have them. I try to buy as little as possible at the LFS. Too expensive. I buy lava rock with about 1/2" to 1" size and then crush it myself. I try to wind up with about 1/8 inch grains.
2. The blasting sand comes from a local concrete material supplier. They're not nationwide but I'm sure you can find one locally. If not, try calling an industrial painting shop and ask where they get theirs. The blasting sand fines I save whenever I sift for proper grain size.
3.I get seachem onyx at the LFS.
4. When I clean the bottom I move the bell gently over the bottom far enough away from the substrate so I don't pick up the gravel. AS I keep heavily planted tanks lightly stocked with fish I don't have too much waste on the bottom from them. I keep kuhli loaches for bottom janitors and they take care of a lot of the waste.
5. I cover the bottom of the tank. I use the smallest pad heaters I can find.
For a corner tank I cover the tank bottom as well. Again, I use several small pads in stead of one big one just in case it gets too warm in the tank so I can unplug one or two if needed. Also, when a pad burns out a small one is easier to replace.
6. Some mixing occurs as I place tank decorations and during planting. I don't mix on purpose. Prior to hurricane Rita I had a 55 flat-back hex planted this way for ten years and never messed with the substrate. Now the plants from this aquarium are scattered among friends' tanks.
From 1979 to 1982 I was in the Navy stationed in Kamiseya, Japan. I found a LFS by accident (couldn't read the signs) and struck a three year friendship with the owner, a guy named Kenjiro. I was one of the only gaijins to frequent his store. He spoke a little English and I spoke a little Japanese but we both spoke fluent fish so we got along well. I learned to build my substrate from him. He had the most beautiful planted tanks I had ever seen.
Kenny (Kenjiro) had the patience of a saint with me as I tend to be mule-headed and argumentative. In spite of my best efforts to the contrary, I learned quite a bit from him. The LFS was in a city called Yamato. It was the first place I saw shrimp used for algae eaters. Thanks for the interest Kim. Remember, this is just one way. There are many others. Ask around and I'm sure you'll find alternative methods. Many of my cohorts around here find some of my methods to be the very definition of "overkill". Works for me.
Mark
1. I get the composted peat and lava rock at Lowes. Any DIY store or gardening center should have them. I try to buy as little as possible at the LFS. Too expensive. I buy lava rock with about 1/2" to 1" size and then crush it myself. I try to wind up with about 1/8 inch grains.
2. The blasting sand comes from a local concrete material supplier. They're not nationwide but I'm sure you can find one locally. If not, try calling an industrial painting shop and ask where they get theirs. The blasting sand fines I save whenever I sift for proper grain size.
3.I get seachem onyx at the LFS.
4. When I clean the bottom I move the bell gently over the bottom far enough away from the substrate so I don't pick up the gravel. AS I keep heavily planted tanks lightly stocked with fish I don't have too much waste on the bottom from them. I keep kuhli loaches for bottom janitors and they take care of a lot of the waste.
5. I cover the bottom of the tank. I use the smallest pad heaters I can find.
For a corner tank I cover the tank bottom as well. Again, I use several small pads in stead of one big one just in case it gets too warm in the tank so I can unplug one or two if needed. Also, when a pad burns out a small one is easier to replace.
6. Some mixing occurs as I place tank decorations and during planting. I don't mix on purpose. Prior to hurricane Rita I had a 55 flat-back hex planted this way for ten years and never messed with the substrate. Now the plants from this aquarium are scattered among friends' tanks.
From 1979 to 1982 I was in the Navy stationed in Kamiseya, Japan. I found a LFS by accident (couldn't read the signs) and struck a three year friendship with the owner, a guy named Kenjiro. I was one of the only gaijins to frequent his store. He spoke a little English and I spoke a little Japanese but we both spoke fluent fish so we got along well. I learned to build my substrate from him. He had the most beautiful planted tanks I had ever seen.
Kenny (Kenjiro) had the patience of a saint with me as I tend to be mule-headed and argumentative. In spite of my best efforts to the contrary, I learned quite a bit from him. The LFS was in a city called Yamato. It was the first place I saw shrimp used for algae eaters. Thanks for the interest Kim. Remember, this is just one way. There are many others. Ask around and I'm sure you'll find alternative methods. Many of my cohorts around here find some of my methods to be the very definition of "overkill". Works for me.
Mark
