Bare bottom ftw!

[fishman888888]

Any opinions?

 

[Brookster123]

I personally believe the only time a bb tank is needed is for a qt or forsale or fry tank .. I think fish like a natural substrate like sand or tumbled gravel..

 

[fishman888888]

I personally believe the only time a bb tank is needed is for a qt or forsale or fry tank .. I think fish like a natural substrate like sand or tumbled gravel..

I dont keep loaches or corydoras or any bottom dwellers...

Would it affect the lifespan of other midlevel/top swimming fish in your opinion?

 

[Brookster123]

I'm not positive but I'd guess the idea would be to give them as natural as an environment that you can create in your tank... I've heard that unnaturally bright gravel can stress fish..

 

[fishman888888]

I'm moving in december, id be interested in a sand substrate when setting the tank back up then ....but i have a few concerns...

1) when you siphon the sand..... im assuming you suck up a lot of sand... how do you keep it from clogging your drains?
...my place is brand new, i dont want to take any chanches

2) how does it affect your filters? Do they break down?

3) will my fish be able to be put in the tank before the sand settles?

4) what loaches would you recommend?

 

[henningc]

All 20 plus of mine are exactly the same. Easy way to keep stuff clean.

 

[GreenLily]

I'm moving in december, id be interested in a sand substrate when setting the tank back up then ....but i have a few concerns...

1) when you siphon the sand..... im assuming you suck up a lot of sand... how do you keep it from clogging your drains?
...my place is brand new, i dont want to take any chanches

2) how does it affect your filters? Do they break down?

3) will my fish be able to be put in the tank before the sand settles?

4) what loaches would you recommend?

1. When using sand for substrate, you don't siphon the sand like you would gravel, because it would get a lot of sand. Instead, you just hover over the top of the sand. The only reason why you have to siphon up the gravel is because fish waste will get in between the pieces of gravel. Since sand is a finer grit than poo, the poo will just stay on top of the sand, thereby requiring only hovering the top of the sand to clean it. Also, with sand, you do have to stir it up once in a while to make sure to release any toxic gasses that can sometimes build up. A lot of people will invest in snails and other bottom feeders that stir up the sand.
2. I've never had a problem with filters and sand substrates. As long as you give the sand enough time to settle, there shouldn't be any interference.
3. You will want to let the sand settle mostly before adding the fish back in. The particles of sand can get stuck in there gills and will cause irritation and/or death. Would you want to go into a house that was just put out of fire while there is still smoke and ashes in the air? Same sort of concept with fish and letting sandy substrates settle.
4. Not sure what fish you are keeping in the tank (maybe I missed it somewhere ), so I can't suggest a loach until I know probable tank mates.

 

[GreenLily]

BTW, I do love the driftwood, and I think that the bb look is appropriate at times- it just depends on what you want..

 

[fishman888888]

3) lol if it were a burnt down growop, i might consider it

But yea, understood. Lol. I have a 75g as well, im selling those fish/tank when i move - will do some temporary housing while the sand settles.

4)

4 leopard ctenopomas
1 black angel
5 blue gourami
9 bosemani rainbows

....would the sands colour affect loaches?

 

[Coursair]

Dark sand tends to brighten some fish colors. White sand may cause them to look pale as they try to blend. JMHO


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