How Much Gravel In My Tank?

[ashcole1989]

So I'm fairly new to tropical fish keeping and have many questions! I've been doing plenty of research but my latest question sits at;

How much gravel do I need for my tank?
It's 80cm x 30cm and I'm hoping to have 3cm-5cm of quite small gravel. I've been looking at possibly around 15kg if that'd be enough?

Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

[Antoniakr]

Yes im sure 5cm is about right for a fish tank What fish have you got/getting? because some require sand 

 

[allydawn17]

I don't know how this translates into kg, but the general rule of thumb is 1 lb per gallon... I assume it will not be planted, so probably ~10 kgs? 5cm is ideal, and like Antoniakr stated you may need sand depending on the stock

 

[KirkyArcher]

15Kg will be enough to get you about a 4-5cm depth of medium 3-5mm sized gravel

 

[ashcole1989]

20g ish tank I think so 10kg should be enough by allydawn17's rough guide, so if I go for around the 15kg mark I'll have enough for sure!

I'm going for the smaller gravel option so if I did want fish suited more to sand then I can still see how they get on.

Currently still very undecided but looking at a selection from (not all of)

Harlequin Rasbora
Neon Tetra
Threadfin rainbowfish
Dalmation or lyre tail mollies
Peppered Cories
Cherry Shrimp

To which I think only the cories would prefer sand?

 

[fluttermoth]

If you're thinking you might like to have cories, it would be better to go with sand at the beginning, rather than having the hassle of changing it later.
 
Cories will 'get on' on gravel, if it's smooth enough, but sand is almost infinitely preferable for them. There is no risk to the barbels and no worries about them picking up infections then, plus they can really snuffle through it, which is a natural behaviour for them.
 
I can assure that a sand substrate is no more trouble than gravel, you don't need to worry about anearobic pockets, and plants do just fine in it.

 

[ashcole1989]

Thanks for the info on the sand! I'm looking around and definitely keeping it in mind.

On the gravel front I've found "Pettex Roman Gravel" seems to be quite a well reviewed gravel, nice and small and the in the colour I want.

Thanks again guys

 

[ashcole1989]

12kg of the gravel worked out just fine! I'm going to add another bag (2kg) to raise the gravel a bit more at the back but other than that I'd say 12-14kg was spot on!