How Much Gravel??

[Debo]

Hi,
Everyone has a different answer to this. I have about 2-2 1/2 inches of gravel in my tank. If I had any less then my plants wouldn't stay in place.{Plastic} How to you create an optimum place for the fish to live and keep the plants in place?

How much gravel-maximum amount?

How to keep plants down?

I have had an Ick and Fungus Problem recently as well, and I clean and do water changes once a week. Do you think it could be too much gravel that is the problem?

Deb

 

[andyt_uk]

well i always thought a lot of your bacteria will live in the gravel - more gravel, more bacteria, less problems
i have quite a contoured substrate, with up to 3" or more in places, but the majority of the base will only be an inch or two deep, my plants are bunched together in a few regions of the tank, and these have deeper areas of gravel to help hide thier pots.

i also have a planting rock - a rock ornament which has a hole for planting in, burry your plants in there with plenty of small gravel

i also saw yesterday i think, someone suggested fixing a small planting pot to a suction cup and fixing that to your tank bottom to hold it in place

HTH

 

[pondfreak4365]

We use aquarium silicone to glue some gravel onto the plastic base of some artificial plants. Helps when burying the base..can accomplish with 1 hand. We also use the same method as Andy, contoured areas, even have some totally bare areas to feed algae wafers. Are any of your fish new? Ick is very contagious, but raising the water temp will help, along with a good med. I doubt the gravel is the culprit in your fish illnesses.

 

[fisherman9844]

I've used the silicone and gravel that pondfreak suggests and it works like a charm. The plants don't float and you can often just set them on the bottom or just bury them slightly and they look great. Makes vacuuming a lot easier and you don't have to mess with weights. I've also done it with sand and it works equally well. When you put the silicone on the base, don't worry about neatness. The layer doesn't have to be real thin (or thick), just be sure to cover all of the base and then cover it with the substrate. Let it dry 24 to 48 hours (preferably until you can't smell the silicone any more) and you're good to go.

And as you say Debo, everyone has a different answer to the how much gravel question. IME, it is best to use as little as possible. Deep gravel is pretty and adds dimension to the tank. But it is also difficult to deep clean it and IMO, it encourages algae and bacteria (the bad kind). In extreme cases, deep gravel can also develop anaerobic areas which can produce toxic gasses. There are a lot of aquarists much more experienced than I am that recommend a maximum of a half an inch. FYI.

Good luck!!