Gravel question

[QuietDusk]

Long story about my 40 gal, but it's basically a new tank setup. I've found a great LFS and the owner has been a lot of help. The thing is, he got me a 50 lbs bag of gravel and I'm wondering if maybe it's too much gravel for my tank. It's going to be planted (not too heavily, but not sparsely either). The gravel is higher on the sides and back. The front gravel is appx. 1.5" deep. The sides and back are appx. 2.5" and 3.5", respectively. Is this too deep?
Since I'm not going to be able to vacuum very much b/c of the plants, I'm concerned about anaerobic pockets forming in the gravel.
Oh, I'm going to have an AquaClear 500 on it and I have a bubble wand across the back, if that makes any diff.
Thank so much for any input![/b]

 

[Endgame319]

Its a little deep, try and cut it down to 2.5" at the back, and 1.5-2" on the sides and front.

I see another problem with your bubble wand though. If you have plants you'll want to inject co2, which is easy and cheap if you have low light (<3 WPG). A bubble wand will increase the amount of co2 that is lost at the surface. You'll definately have enough aeration with just the AC500.

 

[krap101]

hmm. lol. i put about 100-125 lbs of sand in my 29 gallon lol. but i had to cover the pvc that i wanted to cover as caves. so thats why .

oh and i dont really think anaerobic pockets can form in gravel.

think of it this way. the more gravel you put in there the less fish you can have/less they can swim around. but also you want enough so that the plants will stay down.

id start with a little. if you want to add more you can. but if you have to take it out. thats a big pain. especially with sand. lol i have a stupid story about taking out sand

 

[chasgood]

Your lfs my be from the old school. Back when the ugf was widely used I think the average was 1.5 to 2 pounds per gallon.
It shouldnt hurt anything. Whatever looks good to you and works for the plants.
I have a bit more slope than TankGirl. 1" in the front and about 3" in back. Or it started that way. It has leveled out a little now. I used 40 lb in the 37gal tank.

 

[TankGirl]

Hey, chasgood, how you know 'bout my slope? J/K

For a planted tank I like about 2" of substrate, but I grow heavy root feeding plants that benefit from that. Roots will keep anaerobic pockets from forming, so that is not such a big worry. Also, many planted tanks sport Malaysian Trumpet Snails (MTS) that burrow in the substrate and keep it aerated.

If you are staying 2wpg or under, a bubble wand is not going to make much difference one way or the other, but like Endgame pointed out, if you are going with higher light then it will outgas your CO2.

If you have specific questions about the planted aspect of this tank you can post over in the Planted forum for more responses.

 

[swanandmokashi]

I am using 20 lbs Schultz aquatic soil in my 29 gallon. It seems like a 2 inch substrate. I am thinking of adding a thin layer of natural aggregate gravel (on wife's request, she doesn't like the look of the aquatic soil, which I think looks very natural, but I read somewhere : if you are single, use any gravel color you like , if you are not single your tank will have the gravel your wife likes .. trust me )

 

[Menagerie]

[center:9b2e26b15e] Welcome to AA, QuietDusk!!! [/center:9b2e26b15e]

if you are single, use any gravel color you like , if you are not single your tank will have the gravel your wife likes

Kudos to you for a good laugh!!

I just started with low light plants in my 50 gal, no CO2 and the gravel is about 2" deep. The tank is established and I hope not to have to do too much, but watch my plants and fish flourish!!

 

[QuietDusk]

Thanks a bunch, everyone. I'm going to try to take a bit out (that should be an adventure). I'll just save it for the 10 gal I'll set up eventually.
(I dunno what this dude's doing, but he's cool.)

 

[frshwaterfinatc]

especially with sand. lol i have a stupid story about taking out sand

God, yes. Me too! Add your substrate slowly!

The general rule I've heard it about 1.5 inches of sand per gallon... you want it to be a little less than 2 inches deep. You can always buy anchors for the plants if tha's not enough to hold them down... good luck!!