AMAZONIAN SUBSTRATE?

[MACDADDY]

yo- 8)

i'm setting up an Amazonian aquarium. ya know, angels, cardinal tetras, swordplants, driftwood, the whole bit. i'm stumped on what to get for substrate tho. first of all... any color (even natural tones) of overpriced, painted aquarium gravel piss me off. it's fake and not going in my tank. i live in a small town in the midwest... i've looked for seachems onyxsand and gravel to no avail, even when i try to order it. soooooooo... what is the preferred substrate for this kind of tank anyways? and how would i get it (hopefully cheaply). will playsand from lowe's work? i dunno, help me out here guys. peace.

= macdaddy =

 

[Thief_Catcher]

I've used playsand before. It works fine, just rinse it first. make sure you give it 24 hrs to settle. You may find that plants grow beter in gravel than sand. I have amozonian swords in gravel now and they are doing great. I've heard (correct me if I'm wrong) that the sand will crush the roots after a while if it isn't agitated every once in a while. You may find pea gravel might work. (the small natural colored type like used on playgrounds and in gardens, not the white lime coated type) I would test it with vinegar first, if it bubbles its no good. Both options are fairly inexpensive. Try stopping by a rock supply to see what they have.

Rod

 

[juanveldez]

I would definatly go with a mixture of sand an pea gravel. course if you had some other projects in mind out side as well you could always just go to the local gravel pit and they should have it.

 

[val]

I agree, that mix sounds like it would be great for your tank.

Valerie

 

[MACDADDY]

i was at the lfs today and found some nice, natural gravel. $16.99 or something for a 20 pound bag... i had to times that by four for my 55 gal. tank. ouch! luckily, i have an awesome dad who knew that i've been looking forever and footed the whole bill! what a great dad! expect to see some sexy pics of my tank soon. peace and thanks for your suggestions.