Mixed substrate????

[clgkag]

Is it possible to mix substrate in a tank? Part covered by larger gravel and part sand? Trying to give it a more natural look that has a gravel bottom interspersed with sand patches. It will be on a 450, 8'x3'x2.5' Thanks

 

[gobucks1]

It should work, but if you have digging fish you'll end up with just gravel on top and sand on the bottom.
Thats what my rams and kuhli loaches did when I tried to do a mix substrate.

 

[clgkag]

I was just going to put gravel in the gravel areas and sand in the sand areas. Is that how you did it and the fish mixed it?

 

[Mr Pleco]

I had small to medium rounded polished beach rock with black sand...all the rocks are covered or partially covered in the sand. Due to my CL's and Ciclids rearranging the tank to their liking..I'm dying to see your new tank....where locally where you going to purchase your gravel? LFS or garden center?

 

[gobucks1]

I was just going to put gravel in the gravel areas and sand in the sand areas. Is that how you did it and the fish mixed it?

I just had mine all mixed together, and the fish mixed it. Your idea sounds like it would work, but if you've got any catfish or like geos or something it would probably get all mixed up.

 

[nfored]

I think you will end up with sand on the bottom and gravel on the top over time. this happened to me with sand and aquatic soil mix.

 

[Fish Eat Fish]

it will all become one very quickly

 

[pcfriedrich]

just do it. its a natural look. I have white pool filter sand, with black polished mexican beach stones. sometimes the stones end up burried, other times the end up on top. I think the fish like the variety as much as me.

the fish do most of the decorating, though.

Edit: nevermind, I now know you were trying to go for a "this area is gravel, this area is sand" look. that won't last long. but I still like the idea of mixing gravel. set it up how you're thinking and see how it turns out.

 

[Frostyone]

I was thinking about doing the same thing in my new planted tank project, and have been wondering how to seperate them too. I want to do sand in most of the tank, and some plant substrate in area's where I'm doing a moss carpet, so the moss has something more to root to. I was thinking about siliconing some type of short divider to the bottom of the tank. Thing is it needs to be some type of softer (not stiff and brittle like acrylic) fish safe plastic. That way I can curve it to make it look more natural. It still may get mixed, but I don't think nearly as much as without one. In my case it would eventually be covered and rooted with moss, once that happens I don't think it will mix that much.

See below

 

[Trippingpara]

I did that in my African tank. I had one side of the tank with larger pebbles angling upwards towards the shoreline with pool filter sand on the rest of the tank. The fish definitely did some rearranging on their own but for the most part it has stayed separate. My biggest concerns was having an avalanche of pebbles crashing down on them when they rearranged any of the lower pebbles but I have a ton of rocks that help to keep any potential avalanches at bay. It looks very cool and very natural.