What kind of sand or rocks could I use for my aquarium?

Question

I have a 10 gallon tank and I have one betta fish in it. I plan on putting some of the following: cory catfish, tetras, guppies, algae eaters, golden apple snail, african dwarf frog, and nerite snail. I'm not going to put all of these animals in there, just some. I want to know what kind of sand or rocks could fit my tank and these animals. Specific names and details would be most appreciated.

Answer 1

ANything you can buy at a pet shop labels safe for freshwater aquariums will be fine. If you collect your own, you need to avoid things that could have been exposed to chemical contamination (such as rocks from the side of a road or a garden that may have been sprayed with fertilizer or bug spray). Then test the rocks in two ways First, allow them to stand covered by water over night. If the surface of the water gets oily looking by getting a little rainbow shine, then toss out those rocks. Also drip some vinegar on the rocks ( when they are fairly dry and if it fizzes at all toss out those rocks. All the rest should be safe.

MM

Answer 2

You can put some sand in and some little little natural rocks and gravel in as the bottom of the tank. You can put a couple of large artificial or real rocks(real looks better) in on top of those to give it the look of like a natural riverbed.....If you want, you can arrange the rocks where they will have cracks and stuff in between them and the fish will have a place to hide and a place to explore.For the fish you can have your betta, 2 African Dwarf Frogs, an olive nerite(spelling?) snail(as they dont reproduce in freshwater and become pests) and some neon tetras and your tank will be a form of beauty and function and will be stocked just right and all of your fish will be happy...BTW: tetras are shoaling fish so try and get 6 if possible and guppies and bettas dont work because the betta (MAY) attack the guppy and kill it.

Answer 3

Pet stores sell gravel that makes a good aquarium substrate. If you have the right kind of pump, it will suck the water through the gravel, which will eventually act as a biological filter. The gravel needs to be rinsed several times before you put it in the aquarium to get rid of the dust, which will otherwise cloud the water.

You can use rocks that you find outside. Just scrub them off first with plain nonchlorinated water, no soap.

Your fish will live much longer if you don't put many of them in there. A betta and maybe one other fish is plenty for a 10-gallon tank.

Answer 4

Just remember whatever rocks you put in your tank could have a chemical balance to them that would alter your PH either up or down.. usually ti's way up and in that case it could kill your fish.

Slate is a rock that's used alot in aquariums because it does not have a chemical disposition that harms fish at all. Stay away from coral rocks or limestone. River rocks also are pretty safe to use, but if it were me i'd use slate.

As for the sand i'd stay away from it, it makes a mess of your tank and when it comes to cleaning.. good luck it just all gets sucked up and it's just a bother at the most. Corys' usually like little pebblelike substrate makes them easier to dig through.

Ask me more questions at www.FishAquarium.org

Answer 5

For 9 gallons or larger fish tanks use artificial rocks. For 8-3 use real medium sized pebbles. For fish tanks 2-1 use real small sized pebbles. Only the color and texture of the rocks matters for certain fish. That is why they have mixed colors. You can find the certain colors or textures on the Internet.

Answer 6

was wondering if i have to do anything once i have gotten it? i know i have to set up the rock in a tank with salt water and let it cycle for a month or so. what exactly do i need to look out for in this month? any other info involving salt water tank setups would be great. cheers

Answer 7

frog will kill them, tetras will eat Betta's fin and tail