Corse gravel or drainage rocks for hiding eggs/fry?

[Corbidorbidoodle]

So I've been toying with the idea of trying to do some breading. I'm really looking for passive, mild breeding though. I just can't see hand picking eggs off mops and stuff at this point.

It seems quite a lot of fish will drop eggs on the ground and then eat them. If I wanted the tank to be a little more display friendly and a little less sterile, could I prepare the tank in such a way as to protect some or most of the eggs without my intervention?

I was thinking if I used somewhat large gravel, or even small river rock, maybe with bits of java moss mixed in, than that'd work pretty much like putting the parents in a basket and letting the eggs and fry fall through.

Has anybody done this? Would it work okay? Doesn't have to be perfect, but thought it might have better survival rate than sand.

Thanks!

[AllFishNoBrakes]

The only issue I see is that if eggs successfully fall through the cracks and hatch, as soon as they’re free swimming they’re gonna be an instant snack for whatever else is in the tank 

[Zenzo]

This is often done by breeders, using marbles or craft mesh. Depending on what aesthetic you are going for (purely breeding vs display that also can double as breeding), there are many options. Just make sure that the eggs are not accessible from other things like snails.