Preference of substrate for freshwater tank

[AJinNY]

You all like those realistic stones or different shapes and sizes?
Or you prefer that colored gravel - like all blue or green or red, etc?
I know its all personal preference, but would like your opinions.

 

[panmanmatt]

I used 3/8" natural gravel from my local garden center. Most of them will let you have a 5 gallon bucket full for next, or even, nothing.

 

[sasquatch]

gravel for an undergravel filter, I use a sump on all my tanks so I use playsand

 

[RyanG]

3-5 inches of Flourite but I like plants more than fish!

 

[naperenterprise]

I think the colored gravel is Bad.
natural gravel is the way to go in my opinion

I just saw a 50 pound bag at wallmart near the multch for $2.50
You can't beat that price.

 

[PEMfish]

I like the medium colored, medium sized natural smooth gravel.

 

[koffee]

I have betta tanks with green gravel just cause I had it and it brightens up the small tanks. I have natural colored gravel in the 2.5G Paradise tank. I have black sand in a 6G that needs fish and/or a rebuild. The electric blue crayfish is on purple and black. It is kind of trippy, but he's a trippy critter.

When I did larger planted tanks (before I got the reef bug), I did natural colored gravel by itself or over dirt, or black sand.

 

[ramora]

Sand with a sprinkling of pea gravel looks nice.

 

[JWarren]

Sand with a sprinkling of pea gravel looks nice.

I like this look as well! A buddy of mine has a chic tank with play box sand and pea rock. Looks real nice with the slate wall he made in the back of the 300 gal tank. He moved up to Atlanta last year, I should have gotton a pic before he moved, that was one stunning tank!