replacing gravel

[fishfanatic2]

I have a 20 gallon 'high' (dont ask why, was my first tank and i didnt know too much) FW tank, been up for 5 years. ANyway, i know more now, and was wondering if i should replace my gravel. ITs pebble sized rocks, white in color, and i want to repalce it because a) its old b)its ugly c)i dont believe its good for the plants. ANyway, i want to use something darker and was looking at seachems onyx substrates. Would u use the onyx gravel or the onyx sand?TIA

 

[brandon4291]

The ONYX gravel is fine for FW planted tanks but I believe it may have a buffering capacity the Flourite substrates won't have. Though trivial, there may be some measurable differences with ONYX in ph/buffering capacity but I would only consider this if you are trying to specifically keep the pH of your system acidic, whether through CO2 injection or though soft-water system design.

 

[Anonymous]

From what I understand (from my reading on ThePlantedTank.net - EXCELLENT site!) onyx does indeed buffer water on the hard side.

 

[Anonymous]

If you are looking for a dark fertilized gravel, try the new Carib Sea Eco Complete. It's looks similar to Onyx but acts like Flourite.

 

[Anonymous]

As far as I know the onyx gravel and sand buffer to around 7 for Ph although I use it in my reef tank and I've never had a problem with Ph Flux down. I've als used it in my FW planted and never noticed it rasiing the Ph either. I'd say what ever Ph buffering it does do it does on a weak basis. I usually use two bags of onyx sand to every bag of onyx gravel. So a 2 to ! ratio or 3 to 1, sand / gravel should do wonders for ya. I like the carib sea gravel eco-complete but it is very dark and the onyx is a happy medium a dark grey color instead of the dark black; however both are excellent in my experiences. The dark colors really acent the greens and red in your plants not too mention bringing out the colors in the fish extremely well also.

 

[fishfanatic2]

Thanx all, i forgot about this thread. I will have to look into the Eco-complete. The PH buffering i think is ok, im not trying to keep anything super-soft water. When i rpelace the gravel should i do a little at a time? Sorry for the brievity of this post, i g2g. TIA

 

[Mouse]

I wouldn't use Onyx at all, use the Carribsea EcoComplete, its prewashed and sold wet, so theres no rinsing and no residue. Its blacker than the silty seachem stuff, and looks like little moon rocks.

 

[Mouse]

Sand, use sand. Plants love it, plus the detritus sits ontop a little more so its easyer to vacume off. Plus any corydoras or other bottom feeders will retain their whiskers.

 

[fishfanatic2]

My water is naturally soft, possibly the onyx would help? Im not downplaying the ecocomplete just trying to get a full view.

 

[Mouse]

Onyx would hlp, but by the time the siltyness has cleared so will any potential buffering. Onyx is nice, just a chore to wash.

 

[fishfanatic2]

Ive been researching a bit, the Eco-Complete doesnt come in sand. However, it seems like a better substrate. Plus I could mix it with my old gravel, for a white-black look. So, weighing everything in, which would you use, the CaribSea, good but no sand, or the Onyx, not as plant friendly but available as sand. :?:

 

[fishfanatic2]

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[fishfanatic2]

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[fishfanatic2]

We need more people in this forum!

 

[Rikko]

Believe it or not, I haven't seen plant growth as good as when I used pool silica. Pool supply store silica sand for sand filters - cost me about 10 bucks for a 25lb bag. I used some in a 20 gallon discus rearing tank when I impulse bought some horseface loaches and threw a few plants in as well.. After a couple of months the root systems were so well developed I almost wasn't able to separate them.
This stuff was also a nice tan colour with a lot of black bits. It's not as tightly packed as the white silica you often see.
When I get around to it I'll replace all the "bulk" gravel in my 77 planted with the silica.