GROW!T GMC40l - 4mm-16mm Clay Pebbles, Brown, (40 Liter Bag) - Made from 100% Natural Clay, Can be used for Drainage, Decoration, Aquaponics, Hydroponics and Other Gardening Essentials

Clean and works well

Starting my semi-hydro plant journey and bought these. They're not like the perfect orange-y colored balls that you see some people using. These are a regular brown color and are more irregularly shaped, but that's fine for me because I had read it's actually easier to situate your plant in the irregular-shaped leca instead of the perfect balls. For the most part these haven't sunk after soaking them in water (even after soaking for weeks), but I don't think that really matters as far as actually using these for planting because none of the plants I've moved to leca have died and it's been a couple months now.

Great product

The bag weighed 28lbs on arrival. I filled 50, 4" inch net cups and still have 8 pounds leftover. I was worried there wouldn't be enough but it is plenty for my hydroponic vegetable garden. As far as the quality of the 'pebbles' they seem to be average. For those that are looking for a perfectly uniform round ball appearance, don't get this product. A random sample taken from the bag consists of various shapes, perfectly round being the most rare shape. There are quite a few fragmented and broken pieces mixed through out. As for me, I wasn't concerned at all with looks, only usability, and these seem to work just fine at holding water and creating space for oxygen. I tested their claim of being pH inert and found it to be true. These pebbles did not appear to change the pH of my water. They are gritty however and will need to be washed before use. Overall, happy with the price for the amount and would buy again. update- I soaked the pebbles for 24 hours and they still float on the surface of the water. 24 hours should have been more than sufficient for them to be "fully wet" as the description says. For anyone that needs these to sink to the bottom of water do not get these, they will float. They will work for the purpose of a net cup being about 2/3 submerged in water. Try and submerge the cup in water any deeper and the pebbles will push up out of it. I am still happy with them because I don't need them to be be submerged, only half under the water at most.

If you require these, you already know what you need them for. The build quality is excellent. They are simple to setup and easy to use. They do an outstanding job of storing and transporting your water & nutrients. These are the golden standard of leca. Absolutely highly recommended.

I bought these for my flood and drain set-up. You have to clean these very well as they have a lot of powder from production. As I was cleaning I was worried because they all floated. I made sure all of the water was out of my barrels and filled to the top with rock. I then flooded them and I was very happy because the weight of the pebbles where enough to keep from floating up and over the sides. There is also maybe an inch of dry rock at the top of my system to prevent the growth of alge. They are perfect for my halfbarrel flood and drain. Also if your interested took just about 6 to fill 2 half barrels. Its a lot of money but after digging out my $150 of rock that tested fine with vineger but then the ph started creeping up was not fun either. This pebble is so light and easy on the hands to work with and should withstand for so long I'm happy with the investment.

I used this to act as a drainage medium for a reptile vivarium. A lot of people complained about the pieces not being perfect balls. For me, this didn't matter, especially since when I think of "pebbles," I tend to think of imperfect little pieces. The clay pebbles do vary in size, with a marginal amount being tiny enough to slip through a strainer. However, it is quite a large bag and I had plenty leftover. For my purpose, it works quite well. It helps to keep the humidity in the tank without leaving any standing water. I have yet to see any sort of mold or fungus growth. I am quite pleased! Hint for cleaning: I divided the bag into manageable amounts and used an old strainer to rinse them off with the hose until the water runs clear. This a longer process but helps to thoroughly rid yourself of all the dust. I originally tried just throwing everything into a large bin, filling with water, and pouring out the water but I still ended up with dusty water. Do yourself a favor and clean thoroughly the first time around.

You get A LOT for what you pay, but I struggle with this brand because they float so easily. Makes it harder to thoroughly clean them, and also makes it hard to water the plants. I find I have to mix in another brand of leca that’s more compact and heavy in order to offset the floating. It’s a solid budget option. I’m still saving a bit by not having to buy as much of the expensive stuff, but not as much as I hoped.