Cleaning new aquarium substrate pebbles

[fancy]

Since your bag still seems intact, I'm starting to think those black pebbles might not be the best choice for your shrimp tank. I mean, who needs a glowing floor, right? The shrimp definitely won't appreciate eating any coating that might be on them, and who knows what could leach into the water.

I tried to look up where these pebbles come from, and from what I found, they're probably made in Asia. I'm no expert, but I think pool sand or specialized Shrimp Soil would be a much better option. Your shrimp will thank you for a soft substrate like sand or shrimp soil – it's way easier for them to navigate and find food. Gravel, on the other hand, can be a real challenge for them.

I'm speaking from experience here – I've got natural gravel in my shrimp tank, and let me tell you, it's been a regret, regret, regret situation. Any "natural" color will do just fine, but please, for the sake of your shrimp, consider something better than those Glofish pebbles.

I completely agree, Fluval Stratum is a great option and it's on sale right now at petco/petsmart for half price. For gravel, I'd only use a natural type, and I prefer tiny sizes, around .5-2.0mm. Larger gravel tends to hold more detritus that doesn't get filtered out, which can foul the water faster. Shrimp can be really finicky about water parameters, like different biofilms, pH, TDS, nitrates, temperature, and more.

Thanks so much, I'm expecting two more shrimps this week, still waiting for a delivery date from Aquaticarts.com. I only changed the gravel to make the tiny neocaridina shrimps easier to spot. Will my Nerite snails be okay with the new substrate? I'm getting a bit anxious about making changes before the new shrimps arrive. I currently have small white gravel and that "amethyst" lavender stuff - should I hold off on adding a different substrate until the new additions have settled in?

[kokomo]

I just got my black aquarium pebbles in the mail. I figured they'd be a good choice since I read that's what shrimp are used to in the wild. (I also came across that parrots should eat commercial seed diets - yeah, right, that's a great example of why you can't always trust the internet.)

The package said they're safe for glo fish, but I'm definitely not getting those. So, what's the best way to prep these pebbles for my shrimp tank?

If you want to test the glowing capability of this stuff, any blue light should do. Approximately 450 to 490 nanometers in wavelengths is the range that makes it glow, so a blue LED light or even just a blue flash on your phone should make it visible.

[kingrise]

Since your bag still seems intact, I'm starting to think those black pebbles might not be the best choice for your shrimp tank. I mean, who needs a glowing floor, right? The shrimp definitely won't appreciate eating any coating that might be on them, and who knows what could leach into the water.

I tried to look up where these pebbles come from, and from what I found, they're probably made in Asia. I'm no expert, but I think pool sand or specialized Shrimp Soil would be a much better option. Your shrimp will thank you for a soft substrate like sand or shrimp soil – it's way easier for them to navigate and find food. Gravel, on the other hand, can be a real challenge for them.

I'm speaking from experience here – I've got natural gravel in my shrimp tank, and let me tell you, it's been a regret, regret, regret situation. Any "natural" color will do just fine, but please, for the sake of your shrimp, consider something better than those Glofish pebbles.

I completely agree, Fluval Stratum is a great option and it's on sale right now at petco/petsmart for half price. For gravel, I'd only use a natural type, and I prefer tiny sizes, around .5-2.0mm. Larger gravel tends to hold more detritus that doesn't get filtered out, which can foul the water faster. Shrimp can be really finicky about water parameters, like different biofilms, pH, TDS, nitrates, temperature, and more.

Stratum does break down over time. Plain black sand works just as well too. I think the shrimp really love picking through the small grains and sand to find food.

[fancy]

Since your bag still seems intact, I'm starting to think those black pebbles might not be the best choice for your shrimp tank. I mean, who needs a glowing floor, right? The shrimp definitely won't appreciate eating any coating that might be on them, and who knows what could leach into the water.

I tried to look up where these pebbles come from, and from what I found, they're probably made in Asia. I'm no expert, but I think pool sand or specialized Shrimp Soil would be a much better option. Your shrimp will thank you for a soft substrate like sand or shrimp soil – it's way easier for them to navigate and find food. Gravel, on the other hand, can be a real challenge for them.

I'm speaking from experience here – I've got natural gravel in my shrimp tank, and let me tell you, it's been a regret, regret, regret situation. Any "natural" color will do just fine, but please, for the sake of your shrimp, consider something better than those Glofish pebbles.

I've got Fluval Stratum on the way now. So my next question is, when's the best time to change/add the new substrate? I've got shrimp that are 2 years old, some new ones I've had for 2 weeks, and 2 more coming next week.

[kokomo]

I just got my black aquarium pebbles in the mail. I figured they'd be a good choice since I read that's what shrimp are used to in the wild. (I also came across that parrots should eat commercial seed diets - yeah, right, that's a great example of why you can't always trust the internet.)

The package said they're safe for glo fish, but I'm definitely not getting those. So, what's the best way to prep these pebbles for my shrimp tank?

To create a strategy for you, I'd love to see a couple of pics of your tank and get a sense of how accessible your current substrate is.

I'd recommend removing the current substrate by slowly scooping it out and replacing it by patches, at each water change. Thoroughly vacuum the area you're about to scoop and replace it immediately with the new mix.

Don't stress about any remaining bits, they're just part of the tank's history. The real consideration is your plant setup at this point.