how much gravel?

[laur94x]

Hiya, I recently went and picked up a new tank and need to buy some gravel for it. I'm not completely sure of the size but its 3ft in length and looks like it holds about 150 litres. Can anyone tell me roughly how much gravel ill need for a 150 litre tank please? Also what colour gravel do people think looks nice? I'm thinking of going for a dark but bright blue thanks

 

[laur94x]

Also what sort of filter would I need for something this size?

 

[laur94x]

Sorry just looked it up and its a 130 litre tank

 

[shellieca]

Depends on your taste & what you plan to put in the tank; what kind of fish / plants? Keep in mind some bottom feeder fish don't like gravel & it can be difficult to anchor some plants if the gravel isn't deep enough. I personally prefer the pea gravel but I haven't seen it in dark colors, I tend to do about a pound per gallon, my 46g tank has 50# of gravel.

 

[blert]

Calculator...
http://www.aqua-calc.com/calculate/gravel-rectangular-solid

If you are not planting it I suggest keeping it a thin layer, about one inch. It will be easier to clean and not trap as much crud.

Bottom dwellers prefer a softer sand type substrate, diggers especially. Diggers like it moderately thick, at least two inches.

Darker will bring out more colors in the the aquarium. Lighter will make the tank look brighter.

 

[gravereaper0]

What everyone else is saying, depends on your stock and whether or not youre goin to plant it. For the filter again depends on stock and what type you want. I prefer canister filters because all you see is the intake and output hose vs. HOB or sponge filters. And you can costumize media to your liking. You want something that'll filter the tank at least x10 per hour, so if you've got a 130 liter, your minimum flow rate should be 1300 liters an hour. Again that's a minimum, the more flow you got the better. Biggest names in the game are eheim and fluval but there are many others. I myself got a Fluval 306 in my 20 gallon. Also you can check out eBay for cheaper knockoffs.

 

[blert]

... the more flow you got the better. ...

This, again, depends on the fish you keep. Angels, for instance, don't like a lot of flow.
The typical 'rule of thumb' is (I believe) 4-6 times tank volume per hour. Messy fish or overstocked 6-10 times. Really messy fish or really overstocked 10 times or more.