Best gravel size for planted aquarium

[Canadian]

Hi everyone, I’m transitioning from a 180 gallon saltwater aquarium to a 90 gallon freshwater planted aquarium. I’m setting the planted aquarium in a few months. I’ve watched a lot of aquarium co-op YouTube videos and grateful to have learned so much before I even started setting up my aquarium. I would like to use gravel as my substrate. I plan to have a variety of beginner plant types. What’s the best gravel size in mm for plants that need substrate to thrive? Thanks in advance for the responses. 

[ccurtis]

I personally like to use pea gravel. I get it at Home Depot as it is much cheaper than your pet stores. You will have the rinse it quite a bit to get the dirt off it. 

I rinse the gravel out really well and put it in the tank. Then I put in my water. I try to run the water with it running down the glass so it doesn’t stir up what I missed during washing. I then run a lot of filter floss in the filter the first day or two the get all the fine particles I missed.  I find it to work really well. 

[Canadian]

Thank you for sharing. I want to try a gravel substrate that’s specifically intended for freshwater aquariums like Caribsea Super Naturals line.

I would like to know out of the following options which gravel/sand size I should choose for my planted aquarium substrate aside from aesthetics that would optimize root development and allow good flow to prevent any gas build up?

Crystal River - Typical Size: 0.5 – 1.0mm

Moonlight Sand Typical Size: 0.25 – 0.75mm

Peace River - Typical Size: 1.0 – 2.0mm

Sunset Gold - Typical Size: 0.25 – 1.0mm

Jungle River Sand  Typical Size: .5 to 1.5 mm

Carolina Creek - Typical Size: 1 to 2.5mm

Torpedo Beach - Typical Size: 0.5 – 2.0mm

Gemstone Creek - Typical Size: 3.0 – 5.0mm