Where would YOU get the gravel/rocks for a 55 long?

First picture the tanks being filled,
second the tank is full, I was cleaning the glass (:


Ok heres my issue, im not by any means prepared to throw $50 into ROCKS for my tank!
I have several that would be ok for like decor for on top of the tiny gravel, but I wanted to ask..


Where do YOU get your gravel/rocks ? How much do you pay?
Pictures would be cool just to keep this thread light n_n


But seriously, Id love some good suggestions!

go get them from a river bed near your home.

amazing what you can find in rivers and streams just about anywhere. not only rocks but also driftwood... good luck on your search!

If your rivers/streams are muddy, I'd use pool filter sand. I'm on the muddy Mississippi, and I wouldn't use the silty sandy material on the banks, just too much organic stuff to clean out. You'll have to look around but you can find colors more natural than just buff/beige, and it's like $5-7 for a 50lb bag. Then you can concentrate on hunting for decorative rocks :)

I use PFS for substrate. I get 50lbs for around $12 at a local pool supply.

When I don't use found rocks, I pay $0.35/lb at a landscape supply/nursery.

you can go to home depot can get pea gravel as well.

I find the pea gravel at the HD or Lowes to be too coarse. I think it allows uneaten food to get between the gravel too easily. I like to use a bag clean, unenhanced potting soil (1.19) covered by about 30 lbs of spf sand (20 cents a pound). Total investment of less than $8.00 and IMHO provides an incredible plant growing medium. Bill

Go to home depot and pick out what you want. Also can choose sand.

If you have a landscaping company you can normally pick up the kind of rocks you want there. Just keep in mind what type of rocks you get so they won't change your water parameters (unless that's what your shooting for) other then that good old PFS and like bill said the REALLY cheap potting soil (no chemical ad additives or fertilizers) work great if you ever wanted to plant your tank out.

Overall a natural looking substrate of rocks and sand or a mix is much cheaper then buying the 20lb bags at the LFS. Believe me when I thought about it I nearly kicked myself for spending so much...

i use "all purpose sand" from lowes :)

Hey everyone thanks for your input!
I will be going to home depo today or lowes :P
For the all purpose sand! Im quite excited! Will be adding pictures and updates!!!

Pool filter sand or pea gravel. You can get some nice rocks at a rock yard or landscaping company usually for about .15 to .20 cents per pound.

There is a fish/pond shop near(ish) to me that sells 10 lbs of gravel for $2.95. I was gonna buy that, but instead spent $14 on a big bag of gravel from PetSmart (Hubby didnt want to drive all the way back to the fish shop just for the gravel)

My last substrates have been....

pool filter sand - 5 bucks for a 50 pound bag at home depot
pea gravel - 2 bucks for a 50 pound bag at home depot
pulverized limestone - usually about 8 bucks per 50 pound bag, but difficult to find.

I also recommend the Home Depot or Lowes. I do not use gravel anymore, but you can't beat the price in the 50lb bags.

I've not found ANY pebble gravel at either lowes or HD that I'd trust.. the smallest is crushed gravel of some sort that will increase my water hardness.. I'm fighting my tap water with almond and oak leaves as well as driftwood.. The gravel I've seen at those two sites are about the size of a sweet pea.. the other stuff they sell for patching pavement is crushed stone that I recall will increase hardness...
Playground sand at the big-boxes meet no requirements like pool filter sand. PFS is screened to provide a grade of granulation (.45 - .55 mm) that allows water to pass thru, plus plant roots, that playground sand doesn't meet. Using playground sand, at a savings of 2 bucks for a 55 g tank, just isn't worth it!..

yeah i dont like playground sand either.... but the all prupose sand is a little bit bigger and has diffrent sized grain in it. Ive been using it for a while and love it when im cleaning with a syphon i dont pick much up of it either which is nice. the plants roots grow threw it great all my plants personally have great roots! so thats why i suggest it becuase its wonderful for me loL!

Anybody know what else is in PFS apart from the majority material? The stuff's not quite homogenous - I find what appear to be small stones from time to time and loads of tiny black specks. Just curious.

Good Q Ryan... I guess I was somewhat focused in on what is the make up of other materials that don't go thru a screening process.. either physical or biological.. if that's the appropriate term to be applied. I do know, that companies compete to provide the medium used to supply filtration capabilities to sand as in it's regards to pool water filtration.. I.e. letting water pass thru it. I've not seen any claims proposed by playground sand providers nor any need for them to address either in the advertising benefits or the makeup of it's product. Playground sand is selected by it's availably to the producer.. PFS by it's capability.. It's just rational business...

sand box sand is okay, just watch out for the silics in it as you will have a little bit of a ditoam bloom, if you do get the bloom do a water change and keep your lights off for a few days.

Ryan. pool filter sand is 100% sand that has been ground to a size that is optimum for filtration. (.45 - .55mm)..
Quikrete link: http://www.quikrete.com/ProductLines/SandPoolFilter.asp
Just insure your spfs is SILICA based not calcium..

Before you get too into the Build and what not check the Level of the Tank from the Picture it looks as if the Left side of the tank is in a high spot. just given a heads up. Also i like use Pool Filter sand. Cheap, clean, and can get anytime. If you want to add a little color to the PFS you can get Black moon sand and it looks like Salt and Pepper Sand and looks really good in my opinion. The reason i like this sand so much is that it is digger friendly and is a very smooth type sand. Best of Luck to you and can't wait to see it all together.

Joe Reborn wrote:

Before you get too into the Build and what not check the Level of the Tank from the Picture it looks as if the Left side of the tank is in a high spot. just given a heads up. Also i like use Pool Filter sand. Cheap, clean, and can get anytime. If you want to add a little color to the PFS you can get Black moon sand and it looks like Salt and Pepper Sand and looks really good in my opinion. The reason i like this sand so much is that it is digger friendly and is a very smooth type sand. Best of Luck to you and can't wait to see it all together.

Also I found out that Leslie Pool supply has a very nice almost white Pool filter sand. For $15 you can get a 50LB bag. 1 bag is decent amount for a 55G.

I use play sand in my 65g African and 20g Mayan with no problems the only issue with play sand is that it has to be washed completely if not you will get cloudy water. also it was 2.50 for a 50pond bag at home depo, very cheap