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Gravel Size

Hello All

I'm having some trouble locating suitable media (gravel) for a system I'm building. The river rock in my area (southern Nevada) bubbles when I test it with vinegar, so I've settled on granite, which doesn't bubble. The problem is the size. I'm looking for 3/4 inch rock. The rock labeled 1/2 inch contains many pieces smaller than 1/2 inch. The rock labeled 3/4 inch contains many pieces that are 1 or even 1 1/2 inch.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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Permalink Reply by George on January 12, 2016 at 9:42pm

I use stalite, 1/2 inch, which seemed to include everything that went through a 1/2 inch screen. I screened it again, using 3/8 inch. keeping what didn't go through the screen. It was a lot of work but functions very well. You might want to go with 3/4 and either screen everything out larger than 1 inch or use as is. Smaller media = more surface area for bacteria. Smaller media is said to clog but that hasn't been my experience over 5 years of continuous running.