New Tank Advice

[spoony]

Hi all and thanks for letting me join the forum.
I have a new tank arriving later in the week (Fluval 200l Roma) and have a question about the gravel. This may be a stupid question but I have a large bag of pebble dash left over from when I got the house roughcast. On looking at the pictures on websites of gravel, it looks the same stuff and size. Obviously it would need a very good wash but would it be suitable for a fish tank.
Thanks in advance.(Sorry but nightshift tonight so wont be able to reply straight away).

 

[AilyNC]

I know the gravel we have for outside is limestone & other decorative garden gravel we have is sandstone. Both these would alter the PH in your tank. Aquarium gravel is inert so doesn't affect the water parameters.

 

[Essjay]

A lot depends on the kind of you fish you intend to keep and whether or not you intend to have live plants.

Bottom dwelling fish like corydoras, loaches and a lot of cichlids do much better with a sand substrate. Plants can be planted in sand or reasonable small gravel. Looking on-line, pebble dash gravel has particles ranging between 3 and 8 mm, which isn't suitable for plants, and is too large and coarse for bottom dwellers.


Having had gravel for years and now with sand, I wouldn't go back to gravel.

 

[spoony]

Thanks for the replies, never had live plants in a tank before(had biorb 60l) but may try it in the future. May just play it safe at the moment and take a trip and buy some proper gravel for the aquarium as I don`t want to have bother with the water parameters down the line. Thanks again.

 

[vanalisa]

Great to have you join!