Freshwater gravel in saltwater tank

[CrayolaViolence]

I realize this is not the usual choice of substrate, however I'm wondering if there are any issues with using freshwater style gravel in a saltwater tank?

 

[mcgyvr]

It can certainly be used..
It has far less surface area than regular sand so bacterial counts will tend to be much lower.. It also does not give much of a home for microfauna/worms,etc...
But its better in that regards than a bare bottom setup..

It also will not allow low oxygen areas that provide a place for denitrifying bacteria to live which is typically associated with deep sand beds but even in fairly shallow beds that can occur..

All in all you can certainly use it if you want and there is no major reason it can't be used or that you can't have a successful system with it..

 

[CrayolaViolence]

Thanks. A tank crash due to gas build up is exactly why I want to use it. I've mixed some larger black substrate with it but not nearly as much as you would normally use. I have a ton of rock in the display, denitrate rock in the sump along with more rock crumbles down there.
There's enough of the smaller stuff that the wrasses aren't complaining, but little enough that when I dust the bottom nothing stays buried and I can filter it out.

 

[mcgyvr]

A tank crash due to gas build up is exactly why I want to use it.

Blah... Thats like saying you want to use it just in case a meteor hits the tank..
The cases of proven hydrogen sulfide related crashes are so minuscule. Heck.. I'm not sure if there are any proven cases of that.. The risks/problems related to it are known but I've never heard of an actual tank crash proven to be due to it..

I'd bet there is a better chance that using gravel causes more problems than having a hydrogen sulfide problem..

 

[sde1500]

Yea, I agree with mcgyvr on this one, I'd find it highly unlikely that your tank would ever crash due to that. I mean, by all means use the gravel, but I feel your concern is far overblown.