Substrate

[dr_sudz]

Alrighty, Who uses what for substrate? sand, stone, gravel? I personally have tried sand, but it was killing my fillter everytime i went to do a water change the sand would stir and my filter would suck it up and now its pretty messed up sometimes it gets fairly loud and others it pretty quiet. Just curious of what most people use.

Off to work will check this when I get home.

 

[Hakon]

I use fine gravel. I have never heard of anyone had such a problem with sand though.

 

[rottbo]

i use gravel in all my tanks i will use sand when i make my ray pond though and in my saltwater tanks

 

[gomezladdams]

Well rinsed pool filter sand is coarser and doesnt stir up as much.In the local garden supply I get delaware river stone for 3.99/50lb pea size gravel
I still have a lot of colored gravel I still use bought most of it real cheap when a department store chain went bankrupt

 

[rallysman]

I use rocks, sand (pool filter), and small gravel.
It depends on what the set up is.

 

[Meniscus]

I always use gravel. Although I love the look of sand, I just find gravel the easiest.

 

[Honda12]

I use playsand in all of my tanks and it works out fine. I barely ever get any in the filters and it is pretty light so I dont know why you had so many problems with sand. The only reason that I have got sand in my filters is cause one of my cichlids likes to spit it all over the place.

 

[Chad55]

I use sand in all my tanks. I use this very very fine sand in my 55 and it has screwed up my filter quite a bit but i love the look so much i just take the chance. I use aquarium sand in my 29 and it is great it just falls right back down when stirred up.

Chad

 

[downset21]

i have been experimenting... which to me is the best way to learn anything. I have 4 tanks at home, and 2 at work. here is a breakdown, and a little summary of what I've learned:

50 gal. African Cichlid tank: crushed coral mixed in with gravel- I didnt put this in, the previous owner did. It looks to me like it is crushed coral, either way, it raises the PH which is the vital to having African Cichlids.

30 gal: black pea gravel- perfect for cichlids. black gravel brings out color better. This is the regular run of the mill substrate.

50 gal. breeder with GT, and firemouth: natural looking pea gravel. once again, the run of the mill regular substrate you get from the pet store. good for cichlids in my opinion.

125 gal. community: large sized pea stone mixed in with flourite. This is a clay-like substrate that is perfect for the planted aquarium. it is chalk full of minerals that are good for the plants. it looks pretty good too. my plants of flourished.

30 gal. exodon tank: eco-complete substrate. this stuff is gold. it comes in black water with beneficial bacteria in it. it helps cycle your tank. it looks like black soil, and is beautiful. it doesnt cloud the water whatsoever and does not need to be pre-rinsed. it is the perfect substrate in my opinion, and I wish I had the time/money/motivation to change all of my tanks to it.

 

[Fry]

regular natural river rock gravel