How much gravel for 55 long?

[terd ferguson]

I agree, I thought you were talking about a standard 55g.

Get enough to do about 2 inches and if the plants won't anchor properly do a little more.

If you figure out the name of the plant I'd be interested to know

Yes, gravel is easier to maintain than sand, at least for me. I just like the look of sand so I left it in that one tank, but there's a reason all my other freshwater tanks except my 10g are barebottom lol.

I'll try to find out the name of the plant the next time I'm in the cichlid shop. Here's a pic in cas you may know...

It's the ones anchored to the driftwood and the ones in the bottom left corner. They are two different kinds, one with broad leaves and one with skinnier leaves.

I also like the look of sand better than gravel. It just seems like more trouble. I don't know, maybe I'm just overthinking it.

 

[CTU2fan]

It might be more trouble w/Africans because they dig. If you're not keeping diggers then sand is easy, the waste sits on top and can easily be siphoned off.

Speaking of river rocks do you know if they've got the larger ones, they're a little bigger than a half dollar and kind of smooth, and somewhat flat? I have some of those and they're really nice.

 

[terd ferguson]

It might be more trouble w/Africans because they dig. If you're not keeping diggers then sand is easy, the waste sits on top and can easily be siphoned off.

Speaking of river rocks do you know if they've got the larger ones, they're a little bigger than a half dollar and kind of smooth, and somewhat flat? I have some of those and they're really nice.

I haven't actually been to Lowes yet. They list two different kinds of river pebbles. Here's a link, but it won't tell you what size they are...

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productList&No=0&Ntt=gravel&Ntk=i_products&N=0

#'s 1, 2, & 8 look promising. But like I said, you can't really tell how big they are without seeing them in person. If it helps for comparison's sake, they are in 40 lb. bags.

 

[terd ferguson]

I'll try to find out the name of the plant the next time I'm in the cichlid shop. Here's a pic in cas you may know...

It's the ones anchored to the driftwood and the ones in the bottom left corner. They are two different kinds, one with broad leaves and one with skinnier leaves.

I also like the look of sand better than gravel. It just seems like more trouble. I don't know, maybe I'm just overthinking it.

For those interested, I've been told the plants are various species of anubia.

 

[toehead11183]

40-60# depending on it you like it deep or shallow

 

[terd ferguson]

Well, a quick trip to Lowes (a mega hardwear store for those of you not in the States) scored a couple of 40 pound bags of "river gravel". One bag gave me about 3 inches of coverage. It had a lot of sand in it though. I had to rinse it a lot. It's a little bigger and a little lighter in color than what I would've preferred. But at less than $3 per bag, it sure beats $60 worth of gravel from the local fish store.

I'll try to get some pics up later today. Thanks again everyone for the help and thanks for this great forum.

 

[toehead11183]

go with a sw sand like argonite, ACs do better in a higher pH

 

[terd ferguson]

Here's what I ended up with...

Approximately 60 pounds.

Closeup shot.

I got this at Lowes for $287 per 40 pound bag. Much, much cheaper than the fish store/Walmart aquarium gravel. It would've been at least $35 from Walmart. The color was a little lighter than I wanted, but for the cost, I can't complain. 60 pounds of this gave me 3 inches deep all the way around.

Thanks again.

 

[terd ferguson]

Here's what I ended up with...

Approximately 60 pounds.

Closeup shot.

I got this at Lowes for $2.87 per 40 pound bag. Much, much cheaper than the fish store/Walmart aquarium gravel. It would've been at least $35 from Walmart. The color was a little lighter than I wanted, but for the cost, I can't complain. 60 pounds of this gave me 3 inches deep all the way around. It had quite a bit of sand in it. I had to rinse it really well.

Thanks again.

 

[Mystix212]

The only plants that actually survive in a AC tank is Anubias, Java Fern and Java Moss.

Sand is very easy to clean if you havent got diggers. Just hover the syphon over the sand a bit and it should just suck up the fecael matter. But with diggers, I'd go with gravel mixed with crushed coral, to keep a high pH.