# Natural looking Substrate?



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/29-substrate/153412-substrate-choices-pros-cons.html
Just an FYI..


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## TheFlyingBear (Jun 20, 2015)

CaribSea Super Naturals. Check em out! I follow 2 keepers of Khulis on Tumblr and that's what they use.


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## sharkbunnie (Oct 22, 2015)

This may not be brown enough for you but its what came to mind. It has 3 -6mm size and looks fairly smooth so I think kuhli's might not hate it. I Hope it helps.


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## FuelingFire (Nov 8, 2012)

thanks for the tips. Sharkbunnie i think it may be to big a grain for what i am after.


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## astex (Aug 13, 2009)

Size #0 blasting sand...it's not dark brown, but is darker than pool filter sand. I think it's a nice natural color, but may not be dark enough for what you want. I just used it in my new 180 and love it. It's over a dirt substrate and is working great.


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## FuelingFire (Nov 8, 2012)

DO you have a Picture Astex? Love to see it. and who makes it? I can only find Black diamond around here.


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## Fishly (Jan 8, 2010)

If you mix sand and gravel they will separate over time and end up looking about the same as a single size substrate.

Safe-T-Sorb might be what you're looking for. You can get a 40lb bag for about $7 from the Tractor Supply Co. It has a range of grain sizes in it, from 1/4" to sand. I screened it through aluminum window screen to keep the sand-sized grains, then rinsed it well and put it in my 5.5g. The tank was very cloudy at first, but cleared up within 24 hours. (Please excuse the lack of aquascape - it was so dusty I couldn't see where I was putting the plants, so I just shoved everything in at random. I plan to rescape it soon.)


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## FuelingFire (Nov 8, 2012)

Yea that is actually close to what I was looking for. Thanks for the heads up. I actually have to go to Tractor supply today anyway so I'll check to see if they got it.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Lakes generally don't have sand/gravel "substrates". They much more often will have mud as a "substrate", with various organic matter mixed in and covering it. (Including rusty tin cans, broken bottles, and even abandoned automobiles.) Rivers do often have gravel/sand as the substrate, because the constant current tends to move the light mud particles downstream, where they deposit in low flow areas. I am saying this because our "romantic" ideas about what a natural water body looks like are not necessarily correct.

Instead of trying for the "natural" look, which may exist primarily in our mind, we can much more easily and effectively try for a look which we like, whether it is natural or not.


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## FuelingFire (Nov 8, 2012)

I agree Hoppy, however their are some lakes with a mix but you would have to dig down past the silt and other materials, so I guess my question might of been a little vague, but you are right. I have always used sand in my planted dirt tanks and i guess I am looking for something that will be a little more active, What i mean by active is absorbing fish waste better than sand. that way i can recycle it into the Dirt better to help fertilize it a little better. But I may just go with sand because it is what I am use to. but I still wouldn't mind a little larger grain size than play sand or pool filter sand kinda mixed in.


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## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

FuelingFire said:


> I agree Hoppy, however their are some lakes with a mix but you would have to dig down past the silt and other materials,


you guys don't live near infertile glacial rubble lakes do you?.....
Boulder bottoms, rubble bottoms, sand bottoms. add marl and muck and you get almost every kind of bottom imaginable..

BUT plants generally are confined to the more silty muck areas..


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## FuelingFire (Nov 8, 2012)

Jeff I'm from the eastern shore of Md. It all sand and Saltwater. And A few freshwater lakes that are all sand. I live in NW Georgia now and Its mostly mountain streams and I ain't done no diving in the bottom of the lakes around here so I honestly Can't tell you what they are like.


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## GrampsGrunge (Jun 18, 2012)

I'm using a locally sourced river gravel sold at a building supply center in town, comes in a 50# bag for $3.00 Has a lot of colliodal sized clayish mud in it, and it really needs to be thoroughly rinsed.


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## FuelingFire (Nov 8, 2012)

GrampsGrunge, that Is exactly what I am after. problem is My stores around here don't carry that. or anything even close to it.


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

I used the natural colored gravel for years before I started using dirt. It worked fine as a cap when I started using dirt. I got caught up in the aquascaping craze and switched to an all black substrate but I would not have any problem with going back to the natural colored gravel.


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## FuelingFire (Nov 8, 2012)

I Agree with ya SCMurphy. I see your in Md what part, I'm from the eastern shore. Wish i was there. I could get free substrate. from my old house, so sandy there. I would never have to pay for sand haha.


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## Androider4Life (Feb 4, 2013)

Fishly said:


> If you mix sand and gravel they will separate over time and end up looking about the same as a single size substrate.
> 
> Safe-T-Sorb might be what you're looking for. You can get a 40lb bag for about $7 from the Tractor Supply Co. It has a range of grain sizes in it, from 1/4" to sand. I screened it through aluminum window screen to keep the sand-sized grains, then rinsed it well and put it in my 5.5g. The tank was very cloudy at first, but cleared up within 24 hours. (Please excuse the lack of aquascape - it was so dusty I couldn't see where I was putting the plants, so I just shoved everything in at random. I plan to rescape it soon.)


Can you repost your pictures?

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk


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## Fishly (Jan 8, 2010)

Are you having trouble seeing them? They're showing up for me.


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## Androider4Life (Feb 4, 2013)

Couldn't see them in the Tapatalk app. Saw them now when using Chrome 

Sent from my SM-N920V using Tapatalk


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