Washing new substrate pebbles

finfayce · Apr 13, 2024

Hi
I bought black aquarium pebbles. I read black is what shrimp are used to in the wild.

( i also read that parrots should eat a commercial seed diet- wrong- so much for browsing internet.

)
When it arrived pkg. said they could be used with glo fish. I definitely don't buy glo fish.
What is the best way to prepare them for the shrimp tank?

GaryE · Apr 13, 2024

I just rinse the gravel til the dust is off it, and use it.

finfayce · Apr 13, 2024

GaryE said:
I just rinse the gravel til the dust is off it, and use it.

Thanks- i wondered if glo pebbles had a coating.

Essjay · Apr 13, 2024

From your first post I thought you meant plain black pebbles which could be used with glo fish if wanted (maybe to show their colours better), but in post #3 you seem to say they are glo pebbles not just ordinary black.

Could you post a link to the gravel please so we can see exactly what it is.

GaryE · Apr 13, 2024

If they are just black gravel, they would provide a backing for the glo-stuff. I doubt they'd have a coating, though they could. Plain black gravel would work with a glo tank, the way a velvet Elvis is painted on a black fabric.

finfayce · Apr 13, 2024

Essjay said:
From your first post I thought you meant plain black pebbles which could be used with glo fish if wanted (maybe to show their colours better), but in post #3 you seem to say they are glo pebbles not just ordinary black.

Could you post a link to the gravel please so we can see exactly what it is.

Here is a picture of the bag. It came from Amazon. Will sen link if you need to see the description.

finfayce · Apr 13, 2024

Essjay said:
From your first post I thought you meant plain black pebbles which could be used with glo fish if wanted (maybe to show their colours better), but in post #3 you seem to say they are glo pebbles not just ordinary black.

Could you post a link to the gravel please so we can see exactly what it is.

MaloK · Apr 13, 2024

Since your bag still seems to be intact.

To be honest, I'm not sure if the shrimps will like a glowing floor, They sure wont like eating coating as part of their diet and what could leach from it is another story. I tried to find where it comes from and it's probably from Asia.

I think pool sand is better than Glofish anytime, there is also specialized Shrimp Soil you can consider...

They benefit from a soft substrate like sand or shrimp soil. Gravel can be difficult for them to navigate and forage in for food. Any "natural" color will do best.

At the moment I have natural gravel in my shrimp tank... And I regret, regret, regret...

Ceez · Apr 13, 2024

MaloK said:
Since your bag still seems to be intact.

To be honest, I'm not sure if the shrimps will like a glowing floor, They sure wont like eating coating as part of their diet and what could leach from it is another story. I tried to find where it comes from and it's probably from Asia.

I think pool sand is better than Glofish anytime, there is also specialized Shrimp Soil you can consider...

They benefit from a soft substrate like sand or shrimp soil. Gravel can be difficult for them to navigate and forage in for food. Any "natural" color will do best.

At the moment I have natural gravel in my shrimp tank... And I regret, regret, regret...

Totally agree. Fluval Stratum is on sale right now too at petco/petsmart for half price. Shrimp can do well in gravel too but I wouldn't use anything but a natural gravel and preferably tiny in size .5-2.0mm. I think larger gravel holds more detritus that doesnt get to the filters and fouls the water much faster. Shrimp can be finicky to water parameters, different types of biofilm, ph, tds, nitrates, temperature etc etc etc.

finfayce · Apr 14, 2024

GaryE said:
If they are just black gravel, they would provide a backing for the glo-stuff. I doubt they'd have a coating, though they could. Plain black gravel would work with a glo tank, the way a velvet Elvis is painted on a black fabric.

Thanks- not sure about the comparison to velvet Elvis

- Can i test the glowing capability of this stuff to see if it is glowing?
I think for $5.00 dollars i'll just buy something.will my 6 Nerite snails be ok with Fluval Stratum?

finfayce · Apr 14, 2024

Ceez said:
Totally agree. Fluval Stratum is on sale right now too at petco/petsmart for half price. Shrimp can do well in gravel too but I wouldn't use anything but a natural gravel and preferably tiny in size .5-2.0mm. I think larger gravel holds more detritus that doesnt get to the filters and fouls the water much faster. Shrimp can be finicky to water parameters, different types of biofilm, ph, tds, nitrates, temperature etc etc etc.

Thanks much. I expect 2 more shrimp this week. It's up to Aquaticarts.com to give a delivery date. I only bought a different color gravel so i could see the tiny neocaridina shrimps that are hard to see. Will my Nerite snails be ok?
I'm nervous about making changes before new shrimps come. I have small white gravel and "amethyst " like tiny lavender gravel now. Should i leave adding a different substrate for awhile after the additions have acclimated to what is there now?

MaloK · Apr 14, 2024

finfayce said:
Thanks- not sure about the comparison to velvet Elvis - Can i test the glowing capability of this stuff to see if it is glowing?
I think for $5.00 dollars i'll just buy something.will my 6 Nerite snails be ok with Fluval Stratum?

Any blue light, approximately 450 to 490 nanometers (nm) in wavelengths will do.

PheonixKingZ · Apr 14, 2024

Ceez said:
Totally agree. Fluval Stratum is on sale right now too at petco/petsmart for half price. Shrimp can do well in gravel too but I wouldn't use anything but a natural gravel and preferably tiny in size .5-2.0mm. I think larger gravel holds more detritus that doesnt get to the filters and fouls the water much faster. Shrimp can be finicky to water parameters, different types of biofilm, ph, tds, nitrates, temperature etc etc etc.

stratum breaks down over time though, just plain black sand would work just as well too, plus shrimp love picking through the small grains and sand to find food

finfayce · Apr 14, 2024

MaloK said:
Any blue light, approximately 450 to 490 nanometers (nm) in wavelengths will do.

I ordered Fluval stratum. Now the question i have is when to how change/ add the new substrate. ?i will have 2 year old shrimp, new shrimp i've had for 2, and new shrimp coming next week. Thanks for your help again.

MaloK · Apr 14, 2024

PheonixKingZ said:
stratum breaks down over time though, just plain black sand would work just as well too, plus shrimp love picking through the small grains and sand to find food

Yes, I would use a mix of stratum and a good part of sand, you can always add a little more when it depletes.

finfayce said:
I ordered Fluval stratum. Now the question i have is when to how change/ add the new substrate. ?i will have 2 year old shrimp, new shrimp i've had for 2, and new shrimp coming next week. Thanks for your help again.

To be able to create a strategy, it would be good to have a couple pics of the tank and how accessible your current substrate is.

I would remove the current substrate by slowly scooping it out and replacing it by patches, at each water changes. thoroughly vacuum the area your going to scoop and replace it immediately with the new mix.

Don't worry too much about remaining bits, they are part of the history of the tank that's all.

It really depends on your plant setup at this point.

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