MIxture of sand and gravel. Pictures any1?

[extremenewb]

Hi,

I'm thinking of increasing the height of the substrate in my aquarium because I don't think it's tall enough for my plants to develop a adequate root system.

I don't want to pay for the excessive prices at the LFS for more gravel, so I was thinking about the idea of mixing sand and gravel together.

I was wondering:

1. Would it be ok for a goldfish tank?
2. Does any1 have any pictures of an aquarium with sand mixed with gravel (interested to see how it looks)? (ps even if you think its no ok with gf, a pic would be good cause I'm thinking of converting that gf tank in the future to tropical)

Thanks!

 

[Fishyfanatic]

The sand won't really increase the height of your substrate. It will fall between the rocks and settle unless you use a substantial amount of sand. It would be better just to use gravel from the lfs.

 

[bzbee]

Have you tried shopping for pea gravel at your local landscaping company? I hear that's a cheap way to get gravel, although you have to be careful that it's aquarium safe. Try googling the subject, I've definitely seen forum posts about how to test if gravel is "safe" from a pH standpoint by using vinegar but not sure if that's the only criteria.

 

[extremenewb]

Thanks for your responses,

I'm thinking about aesthetics mainly since my plants are pretty fast growing as it is.
I'm just curious how the gravel + sand would look (ie would it be mixed well, or would a layer form after a while). THe amount of sand shouldn't really be a prob. I'll prolly opt for like pool filter sand, so I can buy a lot for a little, compared to gravel.

Thanks for the idea of pea gravel. The only concern for me would be the testing, and matching the pea gravel to the gravel I have now, though if I mix it all up it wouldn't really be all that noticable.