Dennerle Crystal quartz gravel natural white

Full disclosure: I have a love/hate relationship with Dennerle. Their products are among the best for price vs longevity, and build quality is to a high standard. However, their replacement parts are overpriced and god help you if you need to contact customer service.But the Germans take their fish-keeping seriously, and this product perfectly exemplifies that.We have a planted aquarium, and needed a black substrate to make the green of the plants really pop and maintain the gorgeous dark color saturation to our L183 Starlight BN and Blue Velvet shrimps. We quickly ran up against what seems to be a wide-spread and persistent problem: finding a black/dark substrate that isn't too sharp for bottom-dwellers (in our case corydoras catfish). We'd tried a number of options, including planting substrates, shrimp substrates, extra fine gravel, and black "sand" -- only to discover that in order to achieve the color without dye, this wasn't technically sand at all, but very finely (and very sharply) ground gravel.Nothing we tried was suitable. Even the largest shrimp substrate, which felt reasonably gentle to the touch, wore down the corys' barbels over time. We were close to admitting defeat and reverting to white sand when we found this product.I'm normally skeptical of gimmicky claims, and the aquarium industry is full of them, but in this case Dennerle have delivered. This gravel is genuinely black, and whatever they've done, appears to be bottom-feeder safe. Two months on and our corys have regrown and maintained their barbels; we also have pygmy corys, variously sized shrimp, otocinclus catfish, and ancistrus using it happily.In my experience, it isn't necessary to rinse this gravel before use; there's no residue to speak of, and barring a couple of grains, it sinks straight to the bottom when poured from the bag.One thing to note if you have a planted tank is that fish waste tends to sit on the top of this product, like sand. This means vacuuming is easier, but fertilizer tabs may become necessary if you notice your plants faltering. Mulm doesn't penetrate the surface as well as with some other substrates.

Love this product. This was my 3rd go at a black substrate - black sand, black resin and finally this. By far and away the best. It was the only one that stayed genuinely black. It was very clean straight out of the bag. Does not float. But most of all my bottom dwelling pigmy corydoras are very happy and their barbels are in excellent form. Plus you can't beat a black substrate for showing off plants and fish though I should add I do not have a planted tank myself so can't say how this substrate performs in that regard.

Looks good in my aquarium .Should last for years .It doesn't need rinsing .It's very expensive for what you get .( lost a star for this ) .It's biggest problem is the very odd habit of floating onto the water surface if you try and rinse it or even worse if your water level falls below it during a big water change !( lost a star for this ) .Can recommend on looks only !Would buy again , but just because it looks good .This is my honest opinion .I believe it's important to leave a review of an item , as it helps others make an informed decision .Any questions ? Feel free to ask .Happy shopping fish people 🐠 .

Really good quality stones made a 3d background for my aquarium using the dark brown gravel. Have had Cory's in the past they would of loved this gravel with some sand.

I was looking for a simple substrate to use for a few nano tanks. First of all, this is very clean. I had clear water even though there was no prior rinsing.It looks very good quality in the tank and it is low tech with root tabs added. Plants are growing nicely

Really good substrate looks nice and was so clean.Before I add any substrate I will clean it until the water runs clear and I did not even have to run water once.This substrate is really good for planted tanks and I also have Corry fish and they seem happy and have not damaged there fins very happy will buy again if I need more

I like this gravel. It needed a lot of rinsing and still took several days to settle and the water to fully clear once in the tank. I am using it in a tank with Amano Shrimp.

I ordered white but it's more of a light grey 10kg did my 4ft aquarium the grains are perfect size for Malawi couldn't be happier with it.Took 5 washes to clean before i put in aquarium.looks great against the ocean rock and the dark blue background.