Gravel with a warranty

Hmmm.... and (to state the obvious) the shipping would probably cost
three times the price of the original bag of gravel.

Wow! I never thought about that. I have (as I recall) Estes' Ultrastone
gravel. (The kids picked the colors.) Some are broken or chipped and have
exposed a white interior. Should I be concerned about the interior or the
outside coloring?

Thanks,
Dave

"Sean" wrote in message
...

Haha...I hate to rain on your sarcastic parade but I thought on it for
a moment. Some gravels are coated in a paint/paint-like coloring and that
may be what they are talking about. I realized this when I was asking
about certain brand names a while back and the lady in the LPS said that
some gravels leech this coating which turns the water and may kill or
sicken your fish.

-Sean

"Ionizer" wrote in message
...
I'm just in the process of setting up two new aquariums, and I happened
to read the "directions" on the back of one of my bags of "Estes'"gravel.
I felt reassured to read that this gravel carried a manufacturer's
guarantee: "If this product is found faulty due to workmanship it will
be replaced."

So far, this gravel is performing within my expectations for gravel, but
I have put my receipt in a safe place just in case I experience a sudden
gravel failure of some sort. Although I had been previously unaware of
the phenomenon of defective gravel, I now feel quite reassured.

The Estes' website goes even further to reassure me:
http://www.estesco.com/beliefs.html

--
Ian.
(Now Playing: Satisfaction Guaranteed - Aquarium Rescue Unit)

"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

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

"Alpha" wrote in message
...
All you have to do is package up the bad gravel and mail it back to
them for a complete refund, right?

You raise a valid point. I wish I'd had the foresight to sign up for
their in-home service plan.

Regards,
Ian.

"Elaine T" wrote in message
. ..
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

OK I confess - I once had gravel the colour of Elaine's web link in a
goldfish tank....(purple for those in black and white). I'm pretty sure if I
look hard enough I could still find enough (even after 10 years) to cover
the bottom of a small tank.....

Never went for the true "clown puke" though......

Seriously, I have some natural stuff that is very hard to plant stuff
in....the smaller the grains the easier to plant

"Elaine T" wrote in message
. ..

Size is very important

I had always hoped that this wasn't true.

In the context of rooting aquatic plants in gravel (three Amazon Sword
plants in the case of new my gravel-lined tank,) I have piled the
(larger than pea-sized) gravel slightly higher around the plants and
thought I might be okay if I didn't concentrate my future vacuuming in
the very immediate vicinity of those plants, so as to avoid disturbing
the roots. I really want to start things off right in these two new
tanks of ours. No fish have been added to either tank yet, but the
cloudiness of the water has cleared in both and it's just about time...

Regards,
Ian.
(Now Playing: Tanks For The Memories - Bob Hope)

Ionizer wrote:
"Alpha" wrote in message
...

All you have to do is package up the bad gravel and mail it back to
them for a complete refund, right?


You raise a valid point. I wish I'd had the foresight to sign up for
their in-home service plan.

Regards,
Ian.


Ah, well. My monitor needed cleaning anyway. ROFL!

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

Ionizer wrote:
"Elaine T" wrote in message
. ..


Size is very important


I had always hoped that this wasn't true.

In the context of rooting aquatic plants in gravel (three Amazon Sword
plants in the case of new my gravel-lined tank,) I have piled the
(larger than pea-sized) gravel slightly higher around the plants and
thought I might be okay if I didn't concentrate my future vacuuming in
the very immediate vicinity of those plants, so as to avoid disturbing
the roots. I really want to start things off right in these two new
tanks of ours. No fish have been added to either tank yet, but the
cloudiness of the water has cleared in both and it's just about time...

Regards,
Ian.
(Now Playing: Tanks For The Memories - Bob Hope)


Mulm filters down through pea sized gravel and you will end up with
sludge at the plant roots. Been there, made that mistake. ;-) Also
roots simply can't grow as finely, anchor as well, and take up nutrients
as well in coarse gravel. When I took apart my first tank planted in
fine gravel, I was amazed at the difference in the plant roots vs. the
Estes pea gravel I had in my first tank.

You could pot your plants in Flourite or something suitable and leave
the bright, fancy gravel in the rest of the tank for your kids. Pots
can be camoflaged with driftwood, or there are some aquarium ornaments
that double as plant pots.

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

Elaine T wrote:

Mulm filters down through pea sized gravel and you will end up with
sludge at the plant roots. Been there, made that mistake. ;-)

I was under the impression you were supposed to leave mulm at the roots
of plants (fertilizer).