I have a plan

[Angry_Platy]

I recently did the switch to sand and I really like it. My plants are growing just as well before, the sand is easy to clean and looks awesome. My only issue with it is how the dirt collects at the base of the plant and looks slightly unslightly. I find this hard to clean for fear of uprooting my plants.

So I had an idea :

Using the old gravel I had in my tank (black gravel) I want to put it around the base of my plants to a diameter of approx an inch and a 1/2 per plant. For those plants, such as val, which is planted in a row I plan on having the gravel as a line down at the base of the plants (if you know what I mean, so it surrounds all the bases without breaks in it).....

Th thing I am worried about is that the gravel may move around. If I were to do this would it be stable or would the nice neat gravel arrangement I have planned end up all over my tank random and ugly?

 

[Mr Miagi]

I think it might disperce throughout the tank and look unsightly, or sink beneath the sand.

Adding a small power head to the tank, directed towards the area where detritus builds up will help move deytritus around, hopefully breaking it down.

 

[Tiggs]

if you put gravel and sand in you will end up with a mix of both just about everywhere (assuming any bottom dwelling fish)

depends what you like...i have a planted tank with a base of laterite sand and gravel all mixed....looks like a natural river bed.