Substrates and Gravels

Aquarius offers you an impressive choice of substrates for the bottom of your home aquarium.To make things easier for our customers, we've seperated our substrates into three distinct categories: natural (inert) substrates, natural (active) substrates and artificial substrates.

Natural (inert) substrates are basically sands or gravels that have no altering effect on the pH and do not have any nutritional value for the plants or other organisms living in the aquarium. These types of substrates are appropriate for the majority of home aquariums. It's important to note however, that many plants will require a regular dose of fertilizers in order to grow and thrive.

Natural (active) substrates are substrates that are usually rich in minerals and macro-elements. There are two main groups of active substrates.

The first, is a pH buffering substrate that has moderate-to strong alkaline properties. These substrates are ideal for African Rift Lake cichlid tanks.

The second, is a nutrient-rich substrate ideal for heavily planted tank. These substrates are usually very porous and are often clay-based. They are reknown for their nutrient-rich properties and their ability to recharge their own mineral composition.

Artificial substrates are usually man-made and/or painted, often with bright colours. While we do carry a good selection of artificial substrates, we usually encourage the use of more natural substrates in the home aquarium.

As a footnote, bright, flashy colours tend to draw attention away from both fish and plants. Fish tend to stand out more in tanks where the substrate is darker, closer to earth tones.