best gravel or substrate?

[princesleyaa]

What is the best gravel or substrate to use in a 10 gallon tank? I have heard of fluorite but I am not sure i want to take that route. What are other good options?

 

[UntimelyLord]

Are you planning on planting the tank? (If not or if you just want plants like Java fern and anubias that don't get their roots planted then any gravel is fine.)

 

[princesleyaa]

i have two anubias planted on a lava rock

 

[UntimelyLord]

Are you planning on doing any more plants? If not like I said any gravel is fine. If you have soft bellied bottom dwelling fish like cories then sand is a better option. Is the tank already up and running? If so you should take steps to make sure the tank does not lose too much beneficial bacteria when you change out the gravel.

 

[princesleyaa]

the tank is already up and running but it only contains shrimp and is fully cycled. whatever was used to color the gravel seems to be chipping off therefore i want to change it

 

[UntimelyLord]

Caribsea "Super Naturals" is the brand I used before I switched to planted substrates. When you switch be sure to rinse the new stuff well. Save some of the old gravel and either put it in cups or filter bags in the tank for a couple of weeks. This will help with not losing too much beneficial bacteria at once.

 

[ColoradoMollies]

beware "natural" color small gravels...

If you go with gravel, be careful with anything that is light colored or white. I followed directions and rinsed it very thoroughly when starting and it still gave me a hassle with cloudy water.

Also, I've learned that I prefer to choose a substrate color that will allow me to "find" my fish more easily. Light colored gravel (or sand) and light colored fish wasn't too fun for me. Black or dark colored gravel was fun for me.

 

[princesleyaa]

any opinions on carib sea eco complete gravel? i'm interested in getting but i am seeing half and half so far. just trying to find out more info.

 

[Fresh2o]

I've used EcoComplete in my planted tank for the last 4+ years with good success. Requires little to no rinsing. Might be overkill with what you are planning. Also, the black it is not completely black: (can vary bag to bag) you may see a bit of grey, tan, brown, and red granules present.
You may want to check out Black Diamond Blasting Sand. Very inexpensive; requires a decent amount of rinsing.
I bought some black sand from one of the big box pet stores and while rinsing, I noticed some of the "color" coming off of it. Perhaps I was handling it a bit rough, idk. However, I am using it in one of my shrimp tanks. I use just enough to cover the bottom; 1/8"-1/4"

 

[princesleyaa]

if i get eco complete i was thinking about adding more plants. would it be okay then?