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Substrate, Type & Preparation Recommendations?

446 views 5 replies 2 participants last post by  KafkaDream 
#1 ·
Two threads in one day, I should probably slow down :lol:

I'm now researching what kind of substrate I want for my new tank. I know gravel is very common, but it can be harder to clean. Glass gem stones are common too, but they're too large for my tastes, and I just don't think they look good (my profile pic is an example of them, and I only used them because they were all I had at the time).

I am wondering if anyone here uses any kind of smooth rocks, smaller than glass gems but bigger than gravel?

I am also wondering how I should prep/clean them prior to putting them in the tank?

Most importantly...how many bags (or oz, if that's how it's usually measured) are usually recommended for a 3 gallon tank? 2, 3, 4 bags?
 
#2 ·
I've never seen anything in between those sizes. All I could think of would be rather small river stones which could just be rinsed off or soaked in a vinegar and water type mixture. But what I do when placing some kind of substrate into a tank whether it be used substrate or new is I dump all that I am going to use into a really fine mesh colander/ spaghetti drainer and rinse it really well with boiling water. Now that I think about it you could boil them to make sure everything was clean.
When it comes to the amount of substrate it simple depends on how thick a layer you want, which simple comes down to personal choice.
 
#5 ·
I did end up going with gravel, but what I think I am going to do is ask around and see if there is any kind of thin sheet of some kind that can go under the gravel. Like a fabric of some kind, so that when I go to clean the tank, I can just lift up the corners and pull up all the gravel at once, that way it's not scratching the tank up. Probably a futile search but I'll try anyway :p
 
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