Using bio media as gravel
- Thread starter mattcham
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Luananeko
Aquarium Advice Addict
The only thing I can think of is that it might be harder to keep gunk free... Plus it wouldn't function as efficiently as biomedia because there's lower water circulation rates going through it compared to if it was in a filter with a filter pump constantly pushing water through it. You could use a UG filter to help preserve the water flow rates though.
treemanone2003
Aquarium Advice Addict
I would agree on the maintenance difficulty scale and lack of efficiency due to lack of water flow. Even used with a UGF the maintenance would still be a PITA IMO. I think it'd also be a lot cheaper to use sand or gravel and even cheaper to go bb.
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Seachem matrix is nothing but seriously overpriced pumice. You can buy pumice gravel on eBay for a fraction of the price.
It would probably be amazing for a under gravel filter because of its nitrate reducing capabilities coupled with the low flow of a ugf.
It would probably be amazing for a under gravel filter because of its nitrate reducing capabilities coupled with the low flow of a ugf.
mapexmac007
Aquarium Advice Activist
I'd avoid doing that *— for the aforementioned reasons. Increased maintenance and a lesser efficiency rate are two very persuasive reasons to avoid that approach.
Just my $0.02.
Just my $0.02.
Mebbid
Aquarium Advice Addict
Assuming you are referring to the Under gravel filter then I agree, I wouldn't do it. But it would be a far better option that regular gravel if you were going to do a UGF anyways.
Matt68005
Aquarium Advice Addict
OMG i use to have a tank that i got from my brother in law. It had Pumice (volocanic rock) glued to the back to make a scene (the back was painted black too) it was so beautiful, and also there was pumice mixed in with the gravel, I can tell you it does hold a ton of bacteria, but is very hard to clean properly with a Siphon, if your gonna try volocanic rock as a substrate, it wouldnt look that bad, but i would definately use a UG filter and Grind it up (somehow right!!) to the size and consisentcy of normal round gravel, or you may find it kind of impossible to keep clean (that tank had to be stearlized ) from top to bottom because there was fungus living in the rock and its hard to kill, didn't affect my adult guppies but it would kill most of the babies, from too much poo in the tank. If you ground it up to maybe grit size, you could have live plants, with an UG filter only, add a led light and id say you have a sharp lookin setup! Very clean and Un-cluttered looking, if you cycled it with some stress zyme and maybe some cheap fish (I was gonna say common goldfish, but they would tear the hell out of the plants, maybe you could use them for a few weeks, then buy your plants?)
You could glue the volocanic rock to the back too and paint it, (Outside) looks cool.
But.....thats just what i would do
You could glue the volocanic rock to the back too and paint it, (Outside) looks cool.
But.....thats just what i would do
Matt68005
Aquarium Advice Addict
Great advice, economical! I know of a petstore that sells fine grade gravel in bags that look like the kind that hold sand that you put in the back of your truck in winter, for like $20 a bag, low and behold theres a rock/concrete place only a mile or two away, i wonder where they get that grit from, its sure hard to find in alot of petsores........(scarcasim)
