You have come to the right place! :smile:
1. What do you mean by pea gravel over substrate? I'd suggest looking around in the substrate section and see what ppl have been using. While pea gravel works, getting something with a higher CEC might be advantageous.
2. Bigger is better.
You mention 3W/gal, which usually qualifies as high light, and requires CO2 and a good fertilizer regimen. If you are just starting out, you might get less frustrations with a lower light level, between 1.5-2W/gal. Things can turn bad either way, but they do so much faster with high light, and most plants don't need that much light.
3. Never.
1. What do you mean by pea gravel over substrate? I'd suggest looking around in the substrate section and see what ppl have been using. While pea gravel works, getting something with a higher CEC might be advantageous.
2. Bigger is better.
You mention 3W/gal, which usually qualifies as high light, and requires CO2 and a good fertilizer regimen. If you are just starting out, you might get less frustrations with a lower light level, between 1.5-2W/gal. Things can turn bad either way, but they do so much faster with high light, and most plants don't need that much light.3. Never.
