Gravel?

[FrankDMann]

Hello All,

First time poster here....

I was wondering about Gravel. I've got a 46 Gallon bow front that has been set up for about 2 years now, but I just purchased a 75 gallon tank. I'm going to transfer my fish from the 46 to the 75. We're talking fresh-water here....

Well, I have two questions. First, I wanted to do something different with the bottom than just the standard aquarium gravel. I've gone to local pet stores, and have found that the larger "pea gravel" and decorative stuff to be very expensive. I was considering using something from the garden section at my local home improvement store.

Is this a good idea? I realize that I shouldn't use anything with limestone or dolomite, but if I find a nice, decorative rock that I like, is there anything I need to do to prep it? Perhaps I need to boil the rocks first? If I DO need to boil them, how long should they boil?

My other question is about filters. In the 46, I've got a Penguin 330 bio wheel that runs beautifully. Is this powerful enough to filter the 75 gallon as well?

Thanks for all of your help. I really enjoy your site!!!

Take Care,
Frank

 

[cholula]

have you considered a 1 cm layer of very fine sand?

I am taking about some Estes sand... about $3 for
a bag.... just enuf to cover the bottom.... not real
good for anchoring plants... but saves displacement
of lots of water and I think easier to clean than vaccuming
a whole lot of gravel... My 25 cory cats luv it... and it
doesnt destroy their barbles...

 

[FrankDMann]

Good Idea!

Do you think that the filter would suck up the sand? I've got that biowheel filter, and the "intake" is near the bottom of the tank.

Also, If I were to use some sand, would it be a problem if the water was already in the tank? I've got the filter and water going now. Should I just turn the filter off, put in the sand, and let it settle?

Thanks for the suggestion!!!!

Frank

 

[colesea]

I'd go with two penguine 330s on the 75, and possibly a good canister as well. That's just me, I like lots of filtration, but I keep things like goldfish.

Sand takes awhile to settle, so you definately would not want to put the filter in the tank and running, until the sand has cleared out, or you might clog the works and lengthen settling time.

Your local garden store or landscaper is fine to purchase rocks from, especially if it is cheaper. Just don't use anything with carbonate based limestone in it. I would suggest getting 5 gallon buckets and rinsing your stones very well. Instead of boiling (which would take too long for the amount of stone you want to use), soak the stone in a 10% bleach solution. Bleach kills everything. And if you want to be doubly sure that you've rinsed all the bleach off, soak the stone in dechlorinator (any ol brand will do). The process would be:

1) Place a managable amount of stone into a 5 gallon bucket.
2) Add water, hose water is fine, and stir and mix to remove gross contamiantes (dirt, sand partacles, crap etc).
3) Pour off water and repeat above process until pour off is clear.
4) Add a 10% bleach solution (1 part bleach to 9 parts water, hose water is fine) to bucket.
5) Stir rocks well for about a minute or two to make sure bleach as gotten to all layers of stone
6) Pour off bleach solution into a seperate bucket, if not too gunked up you can reuse it.
7) Add water to bucket. At this point you can also add generous amounts of dechlorinator to your rinse water to make double sure you remove all traces of bleach
8) Repeat above process until you are satisfide you removed all the bleach.
9) Put stones in your tank
10) Discard used bleach solution in an environmentally friendly way, this is usually by pouring it down the drain with the water running to dilute it out. If you have a storm sewer, pour it on the street a foot or so away from the sewer and run your hose to the street to provide the dilution necessary. If you pour the bleach into grass or in a flower bed, expect to kill the grass/flowers.

The reason I recommend rinsing your stone very well before adding the bleach is because bleach does not work on organic substances (dirt etc), so you would only end up wasting bleach. Most dechlorinators are environmentally friendly.
~~Colesea

 

[FrankDMann]

Thank you very much!

This is very, very helpful. It also answers another question that I posted in another forum

Would a regular dechlorinator like the one I use for water changes work in step #7?

Thanks again!!!!

Frank