Can You Use Garden Pebbles?

[Miller2009]

I want to add pebbles to my tank but I'm not sure if you can use ones you get from the local garden centre or do you have to use special aquarium pebbles. I intend to use them to put under and on top of airstones to hopefully stop the bubbles disturbing my sand or is there better ways to stop the sand getting blown all over?

 

[DrRob]

Frequently yes.
 
It does depend on what they are though and what sort of tank you plan to put them in.
 
Generally speaking the granite ones are fine. Look out for heavily mineral stained ones or limestones or marbles, as they don't work really all that well in soft water tanks.

 

[Steffyboy]

Get the air curtain and stick it to the sides of your tank...hey presto...no sand disturbance!!

 

[Miller2009]

Cool so the idea of putting them under and around airstones should work? Or will I end up with a sand filled tank

 

[DrRob]

The issue with sand is turbulence. Keep the flow even, it'll be fine. Given a short while it forms a kind of crust anyway and is more difficult to move around.
 
Personally, I don't use air stones on any of my tanks, so I've not got a huge amount of experience with them, but when I have used the two together I'd generally simply kept the airstones a suitable distance above the substrate surface and there were no problems. Small pile of rocks should achieve a similar effect.