Mixed substrate

[TwistedHelix]

Hi all,

I plan to make a very diverse community tank (no worries on overstocking will be a 450 litre/100 gallon tank)

However certain fish prefer smaller/bigger substrates and even flat slate setups.

Has anyone ever mixed substrate so certain areas are pebble rock sizes, then gravel sizes, then sandy sizes?

My creative side wants to make mini biomes, my sensible side says "When cleaning the tank the sand will all mix together with the substrate and be a right pain to maintain!

Has anyone successfully had multiple substrates and did it work well both functionally and aesthetically?

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Mixing is generally inevitable when mixing substrates... but there are steps you can takes to minimize it.


1- sand will just naturally end up on the bottom, rather than the top, so planning ahead, sand could be the base of the entire thing, and gravel placed on top for the section you want "gravelly".

2- large flat pieces of slate can be placed over any substrate, and picked up and placed on top again as necessary, if you are looking for a breeding site for Rams (as an example).

3- to get 'clean lines' separating the substrates, you'll need some sort of barrier setup to hold the two separate. But depending on the fish you keep, they may rescape the tank on occasion for you, in ways you do not prefer.

 

[TwistedHelix]

Hmmmm. Yes the fish will rescape it more than likely...

Will have to have a long think about this one.

It could end up looking either fantastic or a right mess

 

[Byron]

I agree with eaglesaquarium. The primary substrate should be uniform in size and colour. If not, the space will appear smaller, the substances will mix (normal water currents more than fish do this), and be anything but natural. Combining different-sized substrate materials does not work unless you have a distinct and permanent separation between them (such as strips of plexiglass or rock siliconed together and to the bottom of the tank), but this looks very artificial and draws attention to the layout.

Once you have the basic substrate, be it sand or a smallish gravel (any gravel over pea gravel size is not healthy or advisable), you can easily include flat rocks, wood, pebbles. I have one tank with sand and lots of various-sized pebbles, along with several chunks of bogwood, creating a SE Asian stream habitat primarily for my loaches. This has a natural and spacious appearance.

Byron.

 

[AbbeysDad]

+1 - I'd go with sand with some wood and rocks on top. I migrated away from gravel years ago now as without nearly constant gravel vacuuming, it becomes a "nitrate factory" as uneaten food and fish waste decays down under.

 

[SFFishSticks]

I'd just put down sand, then place some slate and driftwood on top. Nothing really "needs" gravel and it's a nitrate magnet.