Glass gravel?

[Divinityinlove]

I'm setting up a new betta tank as I just don't think my female betta is happy in my community tank with the glowlight tetras and guppies. She's always shy at feeding time when the others group round for food. She is very reserved and holds back even when I take the food directly to her. So I'll give her a private space, I have learned my lesson (although I had got the idea they might do well in mixed tanks from some keepers), I have seen for myself.

I wanted white sand but thought it might be eaten and discovered on some online info that bettas have died from eating sand. So, I've found this GLASS GRAVEL which are polished, and I'm considering buying the white, here is the link:: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0B3VKHH7N/?tag=

I'm just wondering if GLASS is a good media for biological filtration?

Also they have a blue colour too, one review said the colour has not seeped through multiple rinses, but I'm still wondering if anyone has experience to add to this?

Thanks a lot.

If anyone has suggestions from experience of better/best substrates for a betta, please suggest. Even better a tested product and link to send, I'd appreciate it! I really want a white substrate and smooth, just incase.

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Great that you're moving your betta to its own tank!

Personally I wouldn't use those pebbles as they're quite large and the colour (or lack of) may stress the fish. Try and find a smaller gravel with a darker colour. I find that the fish really pop their colours when thw gravel is darker.

You may find the size troublesome for keeping clean and plants will find it difficult to root and stabilise themselves. A smaller stone or course sand is ideal

 

[Deleted member 149562]

I use this in my aquariums...black glass fine gravel by Hugo Kamishi (I mix it with natural sand but thats not essential since the black glass looks really nice on its own and shows colours up well both in fish and planting etc)

Hugo Black Gravel

Hugo Black Glass Gravel Hugo Kamishi Black glass gravel is a shiny, fine, rich black gravel which would compliment any aquarium. Why not try an all dark base and use with Black magic Volcano Rocks for a deep dark scape, makng those green plants pop.

www.horizonaquatics.co.uk

 

[Divinityinlove]

Great that you're moving your betta to its own tank!

Personally I wouldn't use those pebbles as they're quite large and the colour (or lack of) may stress the fish. Try and find a smaller gravel with a darker colour. I find that the fish really pop their colours when thw gravel is darker.

You may find the size troublesome for keeping clean and plants will find it difficult to root and stabilise themselves. A smaller stone or course sand is ideal

Would you vote for the aquarium soil products then? I've just enquired in another thread about it. There are many brands, usually claiming to lower pH to around 6 - 5.5. There is one ceramic kind alsp. They're about 4-6mm. I don't want smaller as the betta could think its pellets on the substrate.

 

[Divinityinlove]

Great that you're moving your betta to its own tank!

Personally I wouldn't use those pebbles as they're quite large and the colour (or lack of) may stress the fish. Try and find a smaller gravel with a darker colour. I find that the fish really pop their colours when thw gravel is darker.

You may find the size troublesome for keeping clean and plants will find it difficult to root and stabilise themselves. A smaller stone or course sand is ideal

The colour thing is a real disappointment to me as I do love white, I was considering a white hardscape... does white in general stress fish? I cannot find an article about this from a google search.. are dark colours best in general for hardscape/slate?

 

[CaptainBarnicles]

Fish like to blend in with their surroundings, so the darker the substrate the more confident they feel to show off their lovely colours. A fish may pale when they're living with a white substrate so they don't stand out so much and be vulnerable to predators. A white substrate will reflect the light and personally I don't like the glare, a dark substrate absorbs the light and creates a warmer feel to the aquarium

 

[Essjay]

White is not a good colour. No fish have evolved over white - that's why fish are dark when looked at from above, to make it more difficult for predators to spot them. It's also why they are light when viewed from underneath so that predators below them won't be able to see them properly against the sky.
White substrates also reflect light upwards into the tank, something else which stresses fish.

Very dark shades can also stress some fish as they try to make themselves darker to blend in.


With just a betta, no bottom dwellers, everything from gravel to sand is suitable but if you plan live plants it needs to be suitable for them to root in so avoid very large gravel or pebbles.

 

[Divinityinlove]

Fish like to blend in with their surroundings, so the darker the substrate the more confident they feel to show off their lovely colours. A fish may pale when they're living with a white substrate so they don't stand out so much and be vulnerable to predators. A white substrate will reflect the light and personally I don't like the glare, a dark substrate absorbs the light and creates a warmer feel to the aquarium

I found a natural, uncoloured black coarse sand which I hope will be good as I bought 15kg of it -- but I got this coarse sand MAINLY BECAUSE I decided to grow dwarf hair grass and cover it substrate to ensure a soft base with no risk for eating it or hurting herself on it -- this is going to my for my betta tank...

I hope the hair grass, large cow grass and clover grow well to cover the substrate.... Your experience with these?

I also think I sourced a second hand RO system... So hope this helps...lowering pH. Hopefully improving plants.