>  > the rule, on gravel, that i always use is one pound of gravel per
 >  > gallon of water... i believe this is what is called for with
 >  > undergravel filters but i use it all the time...
 > 
 >  CS> Umm, 70 lbs of gravel?  Dont think so!
 > 
 > why not? you already have 585 pounds of water... what's another 70 pounds of
 > gravel going to do?

It's not the weight but the amount.  This is a 70gallong yes, but it's the
Tall version (Havent seen them sold in 20 years).  It's 48"x10"deep and
taller than normal .  So you have less surface volume and have to be
careful about fish load but if you stick to smaller ones, 6" and under, can
be truely spectacular.

Unlike most tanks, you really have to pay attention to where a type of fish
swims as you can easily end up with completely empty zones.

The list I posted of prospective fish, involves bottom types, middle types,
and upper types.
 
 > back to the substrate/gravel... you should have at least 2 to 2.5 inches of
 > substrate... that's about 10 pounds for each 150 square inches of tank
 > surface...

So for my tank, I want about 32lbs of gravel.  I believe I have 25 in there
but we also have a bottom filter (1 in fact) which we need to provide extra
airation.

The tank is now as cycled as it will get without a small fish load so
tomorrow, we get a few fish.  Just 4-6 1 inch types that will grow to 2-3
inches and selected for hardyness as well as usefulness later in the tank. 
(I object to getting scrub fish then flushing them later).
             xxcarol

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