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Re: NFC: Re: Another Filter/Aquarium Question
FWIW on the gravel situation...I'm not really a tightwad...I'm just broke.
I figured I needed about 150 lbs of gravel for my 150 to get a good couple
inches on the bottom. So...I went to Home Depot and got 50 lbs of natural
looking gravel in the garden department for about $5 a bag. These rocks are
larger than typical aquarium rocks...diameter ranging around half an inch.
Here's where Billy Budget saves his dough. I looked at undergravel
elements, and they seemed pretty flimsy for the price. I put a rock in my
tank that weighs every bit of 200 lbs and knew the plastic wouldn't take it.
SO...I bought one of those steel closet shelving racks. The gaps are about
1/4", and it has about a 3 inch lip on one side. I cut it in half so there
would be room to run my tubing under it (it came in a 4' section and my tank
is 4' outside diameter) and just overlapped it a little. Then, I placed it
upside-down in the tank with the "lip" in the back. When covered with
gravel this raised the back about 2-3" which gives it a very nice affect.
The bottom looks more realistic instead of flat and desolate...plus, I can
lay on the couch with eye level below/even with the bottom of the tank and
still see the rocks right up to the back wall.
Anyway...I put about 8 Convicts in there with my Alligator Gar because they
are cave dwellers and that rock must have a mile of tunnels in it that I
knew they would use and enjoy. I have no problem with the fish moving
gravel of that size around and the one plant I have seems to have taken to
it well. I thought it might have problems rooting in the larger gravel but
I think it's done better than when I had a tank with tiny tiny pebbles.
That's probably not even worth $.02...but I'm cheap anyway :)
Larry
> To prevent having your UG dug up, lay eggcrating over the UG. The
thickness of
> the eggcrating will always provide that thick of a gravel bed.
>
> R3
>
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