Getting a 550 gallon tank next week...

[ChiPerf]

So I will have questions for everybody very soon, as this is a much bigger step from our fairly new 55 gallon. My current cichlids are getting bigger, and I knew this day would come eventually, but I'm excited it's here finally. Once I get everything here and figure out how we will get it into the basement, I'll post more info on what I'm doing and probably ask for a lot of help. The tank currently is salt water, and I'm going to fresh. Is there anything special I should do once I clean it all out? Also, where is everybody getting their gravel? I want something thicker than pool sand, and somewhat brown in color.

[ChiPerf]

Anyone?

[mindgame]

Im not sure about cleaning out the salt but I have used play sand from home depot in a few of my tanks. Its fairly large grain and creates a nice natural look. The best part is its like 5 bucks for 50 pounds but you do have to spend an afternoon rinsing the sand really really well.

[ChiPerf]

Never thought about sand from there. If it's pretty big I think it would look good, but the smaller stuff I'm not a fan of. I will check that out today!

[clekchau]

i got small river rock from landscape place it was cheap and looks great with the type of fish i got.



if your aquarium is acrylic and you aren't concerned about scratches, pool filter sand is cheap and looks good also

[Jon M]

My girlfriend's tank has identical river rock substrate compared to clekchau's and she bought it at Home Depot for like 4$ a 50lb back. It cleaned up very easily, and looks real nice in the tank. If I had another fw tank I'd probably use that same substrate myself.

[ChiPerf]

Damn that looks great! They have that at HD? What do I ask for? Is it typically used for other things?

[ChiPerf]

Along the same lines, those larger rocks in there, are they special or something, or can I just go outside and grab a few near my house? I assume I would have to clean them, but is there anything unhealthy with doing that?

[white15]

You must do the vinegar test on all rocks. (basically, drop some vinegar on the rock and see if it bubbles. if so, it will change your ph). Second, you need to make sure the rocks haven't been infected with any pesticides/ lawn spray. Next, you must boil the rocks and many suggest bleaching (for a couple of weeks).

[ChiPerf]

Interesting. Our house backs up to a quarry, so I'm sure there are some cool rocks near there, and there is a stream too. I'll take a look and see what I can find. I see some of the larger rocks at pet stores and they are super expensive.