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Can I do this?

1K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  bettababy 
#1 ·
Alright, so I have some gravel/sand that I'd like to use for one of my tanks. The thing is, it's from the beach. Is a good soak in a bleach solution okay? My friend did this and used the gravel in her tank without any adverse effects to the fish or plants. Does the bleach dip do anything for the salinity? If not, what could I do to remove the salt?

Thanks in advance.

Oh, and 1 part bleach, 20 parts water, right?
 
#2 ·
That is a really bad idea, and it sounds as if your friend just got lucky.
There is so much pollution on the beach, and that isn't going to be removed completely by bleaching it. Also, when working with gravel from a beach you are risking the heavy metals that are found in many native rocks. Water conditioner will eliminate traces of heavy metals found in the water, but if the metal content is in the rock, it will be constantly leaking into the water and that can be lethal to most fish/aquatic animals.
Bleach will also not eliminate salt content.

Your safest bet would be to buy a bag of gravel to use for your aquarium.

Also, mixing sand and gravel in an aquarium will make it extremely difficult to clean. That also makes it much more difficult to keep nitrate levels under control, and to obtain a healthy bacteria culture in the tank for waste breakdown.

Overall... bad idea.
 
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