New 55 Gal, a few questions

[Mykayel]

I'm getting ready to set up a 55 Gal tank, I'm not exactly sure what I'm going to put in it yet, but I do want to have a few plants. Instead of buying gravel at the fish shop b/c its so expensive I decided to just spend a couple of bucks on some pea gravel. Well I wanted something darker than what they had and I ran across this crushed trap rock. Its smaller and more angular than gravel, do you see any problems with using it? Any opinions are appriciated.

 

[Meredith]

It looks pretty sharp. You couldn't have any corys and probably nothing that would want to burrow in the gravel. I personally wouldn't use anything that sharp looking, but if you are careful with your fish selection, it might be ok.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

I wouldn't use the sharp gravel. When fish have ich, they tend to rub their sides on the bottom of the tank. If they were to rub against that gravel, it would scratch their sides and cause problems.

You could go to your local pool maintenance shop and get a 50 lb bag of pool filter sand. It would cost about $15. That's a heck of a lot cheaper than buying gravel from the lfs by the 5 lb bag. Some people use play sand, but I can't comment on the price since I only use pool filter sand. It's just something to think about.

 

[Menagerie]

[center:719c4fedca] Welcome to Aquarium Advice, Mykayel! [/center:719c4fedca]

Those rocks do look sharp. If you had a rock tumbler and lots of time, you could make it work

 

[Mykayel]

eh, thanks for the replys, I'll either just go with some lighter colored pea gravel or buck and and buy some from the fish store.

 

[fishyrican]

I would still stay away from the LFS gravel. It is seriously overpriced. You can get the same thing at HD or a garden center for much less. To give you an example, natural pea gravel at the local LFS here is about $6-10 for a 5lb bag. It is about $3-5 at the garden center for a 25lb bag.

 

[Mykayel]

Yeah, that's why I bought the above rock, I waisted 5 bucks for two bags. I went back and got some pea gravel for the same cost.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Mykayel- Where in MO are you located?

 

[Mykayel]

I'm from teh STL area but I'm in Rolla for school

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Same here. Well, I'm on the IL side of the river from STL. But in school in Carbondale, IL. Nice to see a local.