Adding gravel and pebbles to your aquarium makes it look like a real underwater place. It replicates a natural habitat for the fish and improves the wish’s health and longevity. Corals, pebbles, and gravels are an excellent addition to your aquarium, but you should know the pros and cons of fish tank stones.
Pros
- Pebbles and stones replicate a natural environment and aid in the growth of natural plants if you have added them to your aquarium. They form a substrate for all the plants and the moss.
- The gravel and pebble enable the growth of beneficial bacteria that take away all the nitrates and ammonia from the aquarium and keep it healthier for the fish to live.
- They provide shelter for the eggs that have to be saved from other adult fishes that might want to eat them in a community fish tank. It also forms shelters for colonizing fishes.
- They add to the beauty of your fish tank.
Things to consider!
- They are challenging to clean and have to be vacuumed now and then.
- Large pebbles have a gap where food particles, plant debris, and other waste could settle and stay out of reach. This might turn the aquarium dirty and toxic.
- Small gravels have little gaps and hence little supply of oxygen. Hydrogen sulfide could form their crevices, turning toxic for the fish.
- Bottom feeders suffer the most; they don’t know to feed off more giant stones, and gravel can get stuck to their teeth while eating and irritate them.
Conclusion
Take both of these lists into consideration and choose the mix of your fish tank stones and gravel right for the fish and make it as natural as possible for them to live long and happy.