I have some fairly large white pebbles in my tank and I know they don't give the plants any nutrients but are there any other problems with larger stones? I have mixed in some profile but not very much and some areas are mostly larger stones. I don't want to drain the tank.
Large Gravel (pebbles)....
- Thread starter Captain Hook
- Start date
Two issues with large diameter stones are:
Poor substrate for holding roots and enabling good root and plant development.
Large areas for excess food and other detritus to get into where is has a tendency to rot and cause water conditions to deteriorate. Gases can form due to this.
If you have the Profile, can't you fill in the caps in your stones with it?
Len
Poor substrate for holding roots and enabling good root and plant development.
Large areas for excess food and other detritus to get into where is has a tendency to rot and cause water conditions to deteriorate. Gases can form due to this.
If you have the Profile, can't you fill in the caps in your stones with it?
Len
Thanks len. Well I have mixed in some profile with it but I ran out. There is a fairly good thickness of substrate so I think I will be ok. So far the dwarf sag and ludwigia is growing well, even with my very low light. The vals are living but not really propogating or anything.
I'm planning on upgrading the lighting but was just wondering how "bad" my gravel actually is.
I'm planning on upgrading the lighting but was just wondering how "bad" my gravel actually is.
It will probably work out fine if you can fill in the gaps in the big pebbles.
Show us a picture when you get a chance.
Len
Show us a picture when you get a chance.
Len
I would definitely like to snap some pics of my 2 tanks but doesn't have a digital camera. I rarely use the regular one so I haven't bothered with it. One day I will get some pics up tho.
The pebbles aren't terribly large so I hope it will be ok. I am planning on ordering a bunch of plants soon and thought IF I really had to I could change the substrate but would prefer not to.
The pebbles aren't terribly large so I hope it will be ok. I am planning on ordering a bunch of plants soon and thought IF I really had to I could change the substrate but would prefer not to.
35 gallon. There are quite a few plants in there already and lots of fish so changing the bottom material would be a big job. I am hoping to get a lot of water column feeders and use gravel ferts to compensate.
RTR I would guess the largest ones would be around 3/8 to 1/2".
However most of the rocks are slightly less than 1/4".
I actually took a tape measure and put it up the glass for comparison, don't know accurate that is but those are my guesses.
However most of the rocks are slightly less than 1/4".
I actually took a tape measure and put it up the glass for comparison, don't know accurate that is but those are my guesses.
Ha! That is the same technique I use for existing tanks, and with the same disclaimer.
The 3/8 - 1/2" bit is awfully large, and reduces your root space while providing mulm collection spaces as djlen pointed out early in the thread. But the 1/4" and down should be okay so long as you stay away from the demanding low forground plants with tiny, hair-like or finer roots (lilaeopsis, dwarf hair-grass). Those are likely not on your list anyway due to the lighting.
It is not the easiest or best substrate, but accepting some losses and working with what will and does grow for you is do-able. The profile will help there also.
The 3/8 - 1/2" bit is awfully large, and reduces your root space while providing mulm collection spaces as djlen pointed out early in the thread. But the 1/4" and down should be okay so long as you stay away from the demanding low forground plants with tiny, hair-like or finer roots (lilaeopsis, dwarf hair-grass). Those are likely not on your list anyway due to the lighting.
It is not the easiest or best substrate, but accepting some losses and working with what will and does grow for you is do-able. The profile will help there also.