Mmiller2001 Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 (edited) Greetings all, I'm looking for a substrate suggestion that is similar to Carib Sea Peace River pebbles. I'm hoping for a bit smaller pieces but I love the color and hopefully can get a suggestion that's similar, just a bit closer to sand. So an in-between sand and Peace River size. Thank you for any insight. Edited October 31, 2022 by Mmiller2001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 I bought a few bags of pool filter sand from Ace. One of the bags had a larger grain. The bags are partially clear so you can see what you're getting. It might be worth a trip to your local Ace to see if they have any any that'll work for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted October 31, 2022 Author Share Posted October 31, 2022 On 10/31/2022 at 2:23 PM, Patrick_G said: I bought a few bags of pool filter sand from Ace. One of the bags had a larger grain. The bags are partially clear so you can see what you're getting. It might be worth a trip to your local Ace to see if they have any any that'll work for you. I'll check them out. Can see a picture of the color? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted October 31, 2022 Author Share Posted October 31, 2022 On 10/31/2022 at 2:43 PM, Patrick_G said: It reflects the water color very nicely. Does it have a bit of tannin color naturally? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 They carry 2 version of PFS - HTH and Quickrete, get the HTH if you want a little more grain size. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted October 31, 2022 Author Share Posted October 31, 2022 On 10/31/2022 at 3:14 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: They carry 2 version of PFS - HTH and Quickrete, get the HTH if you want a little more grain size. Which one will Apistos like the most? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 Maybe the Quickrete, grains are a lot smaller but it’s greyer in color. They could handle this grain of the HTH or at least some of them . Which apistos? Cacatoides, borelli, and Rams would be fine with this. The smaller thinner type apistos like trifasciata and bitaeniata probably would prefer the Quickrete but a lot of the grains are still small enough for them to pick up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted October 31, 2022 Author Share Posted October 31, 2022 On 10/31/2022 at 4:04 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: Maybe the Quickrete, grains are a lot smaller but it’s greyer in color. They could handle this grain of the HTH or at least some of them . Which apistos? Cacatoides, borelli, and Rams would be fine with this. The smaller thinner type apistos like trifasciata and bitaeniata probably would prefer the Quickrete but a lot of the grains are still small enough for them to pick up. Trifasciata. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 I’ve always loved trifasciata. Yeah they’re tiny. I’d go with the uglier sand. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 On 10/31/2022 at 6:04 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: I’ve always loved trifasciata. Yeah they’re tiny. I’d go with the uglier sand. Which one is more rounded - i think that would be more important than slight difference in size - sharp edges are useful to avoid. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted October 31, 2022 Share Posted October 31, 2022 The Quickrete is much finer. Soft? I’ve really not played around with it that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted November 1, 2022 Share Posted November 1, 2022 On 10/31/2022 at 1:45 PM, Mmiller2001 said: It reflects the water color very nicely. Does it have a bit of tannin color naturally? I don't think so, when I took those pics the wood in the tank was still releasing some tannins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted November 1, 2022 Share Posted November 1, 2022 (edited) Checking the big box store website and saw this. It looks relatively new.... Might have the grain size you're looking for. CaribSea Super Natural Snowy River Aquarium Gravel I'm finally on the computer so I can dig a bit deeper. The original substrate mentioned looks like it's up to 2.0mm in size at the largest. The others mentioned (Jungle and Crystal river) max out at 1.0 and 1.5mm respectively. It really is just down to what you want in terms of coloration. The one above, I would imagine is about 4-5x larger than the sands and is more of a blend of small and medium size gravel. Edited November 1, 2022 by nabokovfan87 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted November 1, 2022 Author Share Posted November 1, 2022 On 11/1/2022 at 2:56 AM, nabokovfan87 said: Checking the big box store website and saw this. It looks relatively new.... Might have the grain size you're looking for. CaribSea Super Natural Snowy River Aquarium Gravel I'm finally on the computer so I can dig a bit deeper. The original substrate mentioned looks like it's up to 2.0mm in size at the largest. The others mentioned (Jungle and Crystal river) max out at 1.0 and 1.5mm respectively. It really is just down to what you want in terms of coloration. The one above, I would imagine is about 4-5x larger than the sands and is more of a blend of small and medium size gravel. My project Thursday is to go and visit the big box stores and the 1 local we have. Hopefully a price is available that won't shock the wife! I will be visiting Ace too. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted November 5, 2022 Author Share Posted November 5, 2022 I was able to get out and look around at substrates. I think I want to go with Caribsea Super Naturals Sunset gold. I like the color alot and the price is right. Have any of you used it? If so, will it take a bit of washing? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted November 5, 2022 Author Share Posted November 5, 2022 And is this picture accurate? I didn't get to Ace, so if that HTH is that color, it's basically Sunset Gold. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick_G Posted November 5, 2022 Share Posted November 5, 2022 Here’s the finer grain HTH under a Fluval nano and under room light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted November 5, 2022 Author Share Posted November 5, 2022 On 11/5/2022 at 3:09 PM, Patrick_G said: Here’s the finer grain HTH under a Fluval nano and under room light. Wow, very different with each light. I need to go up to Ace before I get ripped off by caribsea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nabokovfan87 Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 (edited) I imagine some of that difference is based on the camera too. Sometimes things are just hard to take a picture of. On 11/5/2022 at 10:17 AM, Mmiller2001 said: Have any of you used it? If so, will it take a bit of washing? It isn't too bad to wash. Most of the caribsea stuff isn't too bad. Trying to find my tank that had it in it. On 11/5/2022 at 11:14 AM, Mmiller2001 said: I didn't get to Ace, so if that HTH is that color, it's basically Sunset Gold. From what I remember, yeah, it's pretty close. (top, middle sample) It might be a larger particle size, but I'd have to see them side by side. I can't find my old photo of the tank before I swapped it out. Edited November 6, 2022 by nabokovfan87 wrong photo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beardedbillygoat1975 Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 The HTH is great stuff. I’ve been buying it 2 bags at a time. Caribsea makes great substrates but if it was me I’d go with a bag of each and use the Caribsea as the top layer that you’ll see. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 I'm a big fan of Peace River and I've decreased costs by mixing it with store brand "natural' gravel from the big box store. In one tank I mixed Peace River with Snowy River and I regret it. The light/dark contrast doesn't "average out" to a somewhat lighter looking substrate, at least in my tank. It usually looks like Peace River mixed with dirty slush from the side of the road in February. Your mileage may vary especially if you tend to keep pretty clean tanks. Mine are heavily planted and pretty gritty, but the tank with Snowy River in it is the one where you really notice how dirty it is. Whether that's a plus or a minus is a personal call. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anjum Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 On 11/5/2022 at 10:17 AM, Mmiller2001 said: I was able to get out and look around at substrates. I think I want to go with Caribsea Super Naturals Sunset gold. I like the color alot and the price is right. Have any of you used it? If so, will it take a bit of washing? I have Caribsea Super Naturals, different color though. I love it, perfect grain size. I did a quick rinse but it wasn't very dirty at all. On 11/5/2022 at 2:30 PM, Mmiller2001 said: go up to Ace before I get ripped off by caribsea. I don't consider higher cost substrates a rip off, because substrate is forever. But the more you need, the more the cost is a significant factor. On 11/5/2022 at 10:13 PM, Beardedbillygoat1975 said: The HTH is great stuff. I’ve been buying it 2 bags at a time. Caribsea makes great substrates but if it was me I’d go with a bag of each and use the Caribsea as the top layer that you’ll see. This is a good compromise! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PineSong Posted November 6, 2022 Share Posted November 6, 2022 On 11/6/2022 at 1:03 PM, Anjum said: I have Caribsea Super Naturals, different color though. I love it, perfect grain size. I did a quick rinse but it wasn't very dirty at all. I don't consider higher cost substrates a rip off, because substrate is forever. But the more you need, the more the cost is a significant factor. This is a good compromise! I feel like the official Debbie Downer of Peace River fans, but in my tank Peace River is smaller and settles to the bottom and the larger (but still small) gravel sizes that I mixed in with it are very visible in the upper layers. Part of this is my "use a chopstick to stir up the substrate" method of tsunami cleaning and planting/removing plants that make it so the substrate is not just left alone, so again YMMV. Here's a photo from my kitchen tank that shows Peace River settled and other stuff showing up top. That's a lot of invisible Peace River, but overall I'm happy with it because it looks "natural" to me. You know, natural like a ceramic tiki hut for shrimp 😉 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted November 6, 2022 Author Share Posted November 6, 2022 Awesome all, thank you so much! I now have many options to think about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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