David J. Braunegg wrote:
"lgb" wrote in message
...

Heh. One of my fish store friends called the really bright multicolored
gravel "clown puke" behind the customers' backs. Nice to know clown
puke is guaranteed and backed by God himself. ;-)


But it still isn't worth **** for a planted tank :-). And, IMNSHO,
there ain't no other kind!


If I switched from the clown puke to natural pebbles, will it make any
difference for my plants?

Dave


Size is very important for plant substrate. If you have pebbles or
pea-sized gravel of any color and switch to 2-3 mm or finer (down to
coarse sand) of any color, your plants will root better. Also, less
gunk will be trapped deep in the gravel so you don't have to gravel-vac
around the plants and disturb the roots. For inert quartz gravel or
sand, coated or uncoated does not really matter.

Good plant media like Flourite, Onyx, or Eco Complete are uncoated clays
and have additional functions. They contain minerals which the plants
can use and trap nutrients from the water and release it to the roots of
the growing plant. If you want to grow plants like swords, grasses, or
crypts that rely heavily on their roots, these substrates work better
than normal gravels.

If you want a specific look or color, you can buy a fine brightly
colored gravel or sand and mix laterite clay into the bottom half. The
laterite will also provide iron and minerals and works very well. Just
don't stir up or vac the bottom half of the gravel or you get a cloud of
laterite billowing into the tank.

Color affects fish rather than plants. Shy fish tend to show their
colors better over darker colors than bright ones. This becomes less of
an issue when all the substrate is covered with plants. ;-)

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html '__
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com