Fish tank gravel acts as a home for beneficial colonies that eliminate waste from leftover food, the fish, and plant debris. When the gravel in your tank gets old and mouldy, you might want to do away with it or reuse it. The fish tank gravel functions well as a decorative feature in landscaping. For instance, Pea gravel, which is often used in fish tanks, is the same type of stone you will find used in landscaping.
The old fish tank gravel can be used in landscaping garden borders, paths, pavements, and mulching. Whether with a lot or a little to deal with, you can use your old fish tank gravel to brighten your outdoor area.
How Can I Reuse the Gravel in My Old Fish Tank?
While you can find a way of reusing the gravel in your old fish tank, you can also reuse the old fish tank itself. Some of the creative, easy ways to reuse your old aquarium gravel include;
Making Garden Borders
You can use your old fish tank gravel to delineate sections in your garden, paved fields or mulches. The gravel can act as a visible border and ensure that flowers, grass, and other plants grow only within the desired areas.
Dig a trench around 2 to 3 inches wide and line it with landscaping cloth to ease drainage. Then place the gravel in the trench to create a beautiful looking garden border. It is not advisable to use the fish tank gravel around the lawn borders because it will be difficult to mow that section. The gravel can be flung and ruin the lawnmower blades.
Mulching and Soil Aeration
Pea stones, the most commonly used gravel in fish tanks, are often admired for their rounded edges and bright colours. They produce a unique variation when used in mulching and do not require periodical substitute, unlike organic mulches. However, aquarium gravel holds up a lot of heat, burning sensitive plans such as seasonal flowers.
Mixing your old fish tank gravel with topsoil will aerate the soil and provide a rockier substrate for your plants. Plans such as lavender (Lavandula spp.) and rosemary (Rosmarinus spp.) tend to grow well in aerated soils.
You can use your old fish tank gravel as a top covering for your plants to mulch them. The gravel can fit well in rock gardens in cool areas and around shrubs to help retain the daytime heat. The gravel will absorb the heat during the day and stay warm the whole day and parts of the night.
The gravel from your fish tank, when used in mulching, can slide over the side of the flowerbed and spill onto your lawn. To prevent this, dig a shallow trench along the flower bed’s edge before placing the gravel.
Creating Pathways
If you have more fish tank gravel, you can use the gravel to create paths in your garden. If you do not have enough fish tank gravel to create the pathways, you can mix the gravel with sand or other landscaping gravel.
Dig out 2 to 3 inches of soil on the area that you want to create your path. Some people will first lay down a pack of stones to form a layer before they place the landscaping fabric to ease drainage, depending on the soil type that area. To keep the gravel in position, ensure you place bricks, or larger stones to provide lining for the pathway created.
Making Pavements
You can mix your old fish tank gravel with mortar to pave pathways or patios. You can also use the grave without mixing with mortar by tamping it down between pavers. The gravel will fill up any spaces on the pavement to ensure its firmness and durability.
Brightening Your Potted Plants
You can use your old fish tank gravel to brighten your potted plants by sprinkling some gravel on the soil’s top layer. You can also use the fish tank gravel at the bottom of the pot to ease drainage during irrigation. Normally, 1 inch of gravel is ideal for proper drainage. Placing the fish tank gravel at the bottom of the pot adds weight and can prevent light pots from swaying falling over.
What to Do With My Old Fish Tank
There are many exciting things you can do with your old fish tank. They range from using it as a table centrepiece to making a mosaic lightbox and placing it in your children’s bedroom. Other ways to put your old fish tank into use include;
Growing Food
You can grow plants and herbs in your home by putting the fish waste and a little lighting in use. Put a small tray at the top of the fish tank where plants will grow in clay pebbles. The water flowing from the fish tank provides nitrates from fish waste that are essential for the plants’ growth. The plants also disinfect the water before it flows back into the fish tank, hence minimal care is needed.
Use as a Centrepiece.
If you want to bring a new look to your dining table during a holiday, using your old fish tank as a centrepiece is a simple and quick up cycle idea. You will need some candles, light, and pebbles to bring this idea into a reality. Place small candles on the front of the tank and taller ones on the back to produce some depth for the showpiece. To keep the candles in position, sprinkle some pebbles around them.
Make a Coffee Table
Cover the bottom of your old fish tank with pebbles, sand, and driftwood. Fill the tank with water, place a large piece of wood and stick it in position with glue. The final product is a unique handmade coffee table for your house or restaurant.
The Bottom Line
You can reuse both your old fish tank gravel and the fish tank itself in several ways. You can use the gravel for landscaping as a topper for plants and flowerbeds. If you plan to get a new fish tank and the gravel are in good condition, you can clean them and place them in the new fish tank. Reusing the gravel is not difficult and will save environmental resources. You will also spend less money buying new home decorations.