# Chicken Grit anyone? (pic)



## limpert (Aug 28, 2007)

I saw this tank browsing around online:










http://www.aquahobby.com/tanks/img/801_Mike_1.jpg

It has crushed granite substrate, also known as chicken grit which can be obtained from feed stores. Does anyone else have some pictures or some thoughts on chicken grit as a substrate? I was thinking about changing over.

opcorn:


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## electyellowdude (Feb 18, 2010)

cant see the pic????? or go to the link????


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## KiDD (Aug 20, 2010)

http://www.aquahobby.com/tanks/img/801_Mike_1.jpg


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## limpert (Aug 28, 2007)

I posted the link, i dont know why the img isnt working


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## GTZ (Apr 21, 2010)

Likely don't allow hotlinking...
Substrate: crushed granite (chicken grit)


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

:thumb:


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## Dewdrop (Nov 20, 2007)

WOW ! This is the first I've ever heard of it. Neat idea for a substrate though, in my opinion. It's probably pretty inexpensive if you can get it at feed stores & looks pretty good too. I would consider using it. As far as I know, granite is safe for aquarium use. Thanks for the info :thumb:


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## PsYcHoTiC_MaDmAn (Dec 26, 2005)

I thought grit was usually calciferous based. personally I use oyster shell for my chickens, so cant say for definite.

however, it suffers from the same issues as gravel, (from the pic anyway) in that detritus will get stuck between grains.

the other issue is sharpness, the purpose of grit is to grind food (notably vegetation) because chickens (and other birds) lack teeth, not sure how sharp it is - but I wouldn't use it for digging fish, if I wanted gravel I'd look for the smooth gravel (2-3mm diameter stuff)

however if you like it, go for it, suspect sand will still be considerably cheaper


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

One of our club members, a master horticulturist, used it for years over soil to grow plants. One of the reasons was price.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

BillD said:


> One of our club members, a master horticulturist, used it for years over soil to grow plants. One of the reasons was price.


That would only work with fish that do not dig (else the layers would be disturbed) so it works with the theory that it might be too sharp for fish that DO dig.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

That would apply to PFS, Silica, and any other blasting sand. They are all sharp, by definition.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I agree on blasting sand. I did not know pool filter sand had to be sharp to be functional, is that true? I never really thought about how it works in a pool filter.


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

According to the specs on the Hayward site, PFS should be sharp. That of course doesn't mean like razors, but with jagged or rough edges. I believe it is the nature of the rock they use to fracture, so the edges are rough. In a pool filter, the meshing of these grains allow for filtration down to 20 microns.


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## el_batty (Aug 30, 2010)

is it safe to assume sand being the best substrate for african cichlids keeping in mind their habit of digging??


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## Fogelhund (Dec 3, 2002)

Sand is the best substrate indeed.

Having said that, I used the smaller grain budgie gravel in tanks for many years without issue. Eventually I changed out to sand, because I like the look better, but it still can be used. With budgie gravel, the grains are smaller, so the regular gravel/detritus issues are less worrisome.


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