What are you all using as substrate for your native tanks? I want something that is pretty natural looking, ie- not pink and blue gravel. The more neutral color stuff from the LFS looks ok, but it is expensive! I don't want to spend $50+ on rocks. Are there other options out there? I would like to simulate a local river like the Olentangy or Scioto rivers. Mostly rocky bottoms where I fish.
Thanks.
Tank Gravel
Started by
Guest_bills79jeep_*
, Aug 27 2007 12:07 PM
11 replies to this topic
#2
Guest_scottefontay_*
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Posted 27 August 2007 - 12:18 PM
What are you all using as substrate for your native tanks? I want something that is pretty natural looking, ie- not pink and blue gravel. The more neutral color stuff from the LFS looks ok, but it is expensive! I don't want to spend $50+ on rocks. Are there other options out there? I would like to simulate a local river like the Olentangy or Scioto rivers. Mostly rocky bottoms where I fish.
Thanks.
Get some gravel from the Olentangy or Scioto rivers. Take a collander and wash some gravel or pebbles from a bar. All it costs is your time. You can get a lot in a short time if you find the right spot. If you want to plant the tank you may need some other or additional materials.
#3
Guest_bills79jeep_*
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Posted 27 August 2007 - 12:38 PM
I had considered that, but I wasn't sure about the legality of taking rocks from riverbeds. Not that I would be taking a lot, but kind of the "what if everyone just took a little" mentality makes me think it may not be legal.
#4
Guest_Scenicrivers_*
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Posted 27 August 2007 - 12:45 PM
I had considered that, but I wasn't sure about the legality of taking rocks from riverbeds.
It is legal to take cobble, gravel, sand, etc... from a stream or river. Just make sure that when you access the stream or river you have landowner permission.
#5
Guest_fuzzyletters_*
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Posted 27 August 2007 - 12:59 PM
I just used some Quickrete multipurpose gravel from Lowe's. Home improvement places seem to have at least one cheap, fairly natural-looking gravel that you can purchase for 5$ or less in 20+ lb bags.
#6
Guest_farmertodd_*
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Posted 27 August 2007 - 01:28 PM
Then there's the sand and gravel option:
http://www.farmertod...e_fish_tank.pdf
You could see it with gravel from a stream, and then not remove too much in materials. It's kind of a slippery slope between filling your tank with gravel and gravel mining
But this way you'd get the benefit of ecosystem services of some of the critters, while having a natural, attractive substrate that does a lot work for you.
Todd
http://www.farmertod...e_fish_tank.pdf
You could see it with gravel from a stream, and then not remove too much in materials. It's kind of a slippery slope between filling your tank with gravel and gravel mining
But this way you'd get the benefit of ecosystem services of some of the critters, while having a natural, attractive substrate that does a lot work for you. Todd
#7
Guest_fuzzyletters_*
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Posted 27 August 2007 - 03:21 PM
wow... really nice article. very interesting and illustrative.
#8
Guest_farmertodd_*
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Posted 27 August 2007 - 05:35 PM
wow... really nice article. very interesting and illustrative.
Thanks
If you'd like to see more on the topic, and haven't found your way there yet... Hop on over to: http://www.farmertodd.com/aquaria.aspIf you scroll down, there's some more pictures, and if you have broadband, there's a lot of video, and I'll be placing more online shortly. Might give you some ideas about things you might like to try
Todd
#9
Guest_seanmc_*
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Posted 27 August 2007 - 06:21 PM
Hi there!
I've just setup a 90G tank using Home Depot "Construction Sand" as the substrate (with a handful of river pebbles scattered on top).
There are some pictures of the tank here: "Ontario Lake" themed tank
The link is to another forum, and you'll have to scroll down a bit to get to the pictures.
Note that the theme is "Ontario Lake", not "Lake Ontario", and we wanted the tank to look as natural as possible, which is why I didn't use LFS gravel, "Play Sand" or "Pool Filter Sand", as all of these have uniform grain sizes (and those sands are also uniform color and quite "bleached" looking).
The Construction Sand is only $5/50lb bag at Home Depot, and we used 1.5 bags for the 90G tank (48x18 footprint to about 2.5" deep).
Cheers - Sean
I've just setup a 90G tank using Home Depot "Construction Sand" as the substrate (with a handful of river pebbles scattered on top).
There are some pictures of the tank here: "Ontario Lake" themed tank
The link is to another forum, and you'll have to scroll down a bit to get to the pictures.
Note that the theme is "Ontario Lake", not "Lake Ontario", and we wanted the tank to look as natural as possible, which is why I didn't use LFS gravel, "Play Sand" or "Pool Filter Sand", as all of these have uniform grain sizes (and those sands are also uniform color and quite "bleached" looking).
The Construction Sand is only $5/50lb bag at Home Depot, and we used 1.5 bags for the 90G tank (48x18 footprint to about 2.5" deep).
Cheers - Sean
#10
Guest_farmertodd_*
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Posted 27 August 2007 - 07:01 PM
Looks really nice Sean!
Todd
Todd
#11
Guest_Irate Mormon_*
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Posted 27 August 2007 - 10:37 PM
I'm not familiar with the flora and fauna of Ontario Lake, but your photos show promise. Be sure to keep us up to date as the tank evolves.
#12
Guest_bills79jeep_*
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Posted 29 August 2007 - 11:26 AM
I went and bought gravel from Lowes and it is perfect for my tank. And at $3.97 for a 50lb bag, it is a lot cheaper than the gravel at the LFS. I just rinsed it off and in it went. It is pea gravel size and even has some interesting coloration in the rocks themselves. It is Quickcrete brand gravel if you are interested.
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