I Have Oscar and Catfish
2006-07-26 13:19:31 · 12 answers · asked by Joshua P 1 in Pets ➔ Fish
Go to Home Depot and get some 20 pound bags of polished river rock They need to be washed off first as there is a lot of dirt on them but they look way more natural.
2006-07-26 13:23:15 · answer #1 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Bare bottom tanks are popular because they are cleaner. There is nothing to catch the poo- so it gets sucked up by the filter.Then you can use terra cotta pots or just get a really cool piece of driftwood. Substrate is aesthetic. Large rocks stacked up can look pretty darn cool.
You can also use play sand from home depot. There is a lot of silt in it though. We have it in our 55. It took us about 3 hours to clean all the silt out.
Take a stroll around the internet to see what you like. Oscars aren't normally kept with live plants- they might be diggers. You can always check. Some people plant plants in dynamic containers and just set them on a bare bottom.
2006-07-26 21:23:42 · answer #2 · answered by Lynn 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Play sand and pea gravel already mentioned both work and are a lot cheaper and more natural looking that the bagged stuff. Make sure to wash well and with the sand it takes a lot of washing and takes quite a while to settle in the tank. I use pool filter sand - it might be a little more expensive than play sand but isn't nearly as dirty and takes less washing. Any pool supply place will have it.
2006-07-27 00:12:57 · answer #3 · answered by Sage Bluestorm 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You can buy pea gravel for around $5 a (50 pound) bag at gardening centers and hardware stores, just wash it well. You can try calling a local quarry and asking what the smallest amount they will sell you is- then you can get it really cheap, probably (I have heard of some aquarists doing this). I use pool filter sand in one of my tanks, but that might be rather fine for oscars.
Hope this helps!
2006-07-26 21:48:10 · answer #4 · answered by aeiou12 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
With Oscars you can leave the bottom bare and just use a few marbles for them to play with.
OR
I have also used beach sand that was cleaned very very well. They will suck it up and spit it back out and also shoot it through their gills and this way they can clean parasites out of their gills. Not only that they really really enjoy digging in sand. You have to clean it a little at a time until the water runs totally clear through it.
2006-07-26 20:42:22 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
You want to be really careful putting things in your acquarium. You don't want something the fish can get hurt on (sharp or pointy edges). Certain things will cloud the water, and maybe even kill the fish (bacteria and such).
Another option other than the ones discussed above is clay pots. Of course wash them thoroughly. You can use different sizes and even broken pieces (check the edges for sharpness) and stack them neatly.
Sometimes you can buy the cracked and broken ones from stores for pennies, all you have to do is ask.
2006-07-26 20:36:13 · answer #6 · answered by Meg 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
River rocks from hardware stores. Dont worry about bacteria and all that, all you need to do is wash them well with hot water and NO soap or anyhting else just hot water will kill any harmful substance on the rock. Good Luck!
2006-07-26 20:33:35 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
go to lowe,s or big garden shop and buy peagravel 25pound bag about 5.00 wash well put in tank let sit about 1 hour to settle(i have 5 tanks 55 gallon and up its what i use)
2006-07-30 00:03:52 · answer #8 · answered by erin b 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
nothing natural is really clean enough to be used for animals...usually has bacteria (river rocks, sand, etc....) you pretty much gotta buckle down and let the $15 go
2006-07-26 20:23:47 · answer #9 · answered by ocguy 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
u could use shells and river rocks, i guess. the colorful gravel is pretty but the river rocks you can buy are good too.
2006-07-26 20:23:15 · answer #10 · answered by Dragonflygirl 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋