substrate depth

[bigfish93]

How deep should my substrate be. I plan on using eco-complete for my 29 gallon tank and need to know how much I should get. It will be densely planted if that matters.

 

[eyring2210]

I have about 3 inches of PFS in my 72 G.

 

[JustOneMore20]

I like to have about 1.5 to 2 inches in the front and slope it up to 3-4 inches in the back.

 

[PaulieFish]

I like to have about 1.5 to 2 inches in the front and slope it up to 3-4 inches in the back.

Is there a benefit to having it like that or is it just preference, like 2 inches all around would it matter? I recently sloped mine because people kept saying to but is there actually a benefit?

 

[BigJim]

I've got about 3" of sand in my tanks.

Sloping the sand will make the tank appear to be deeper. It also is supposed to funnel the waste toward the front of the tank for easier maintenance. I've tried it, but my fish won't let the sand be.

 

[Purrbox]

There are a couple of benefits to sloping your substrate. Foreground plants don't need that much substrate depth because their root structure is much more shallow, so you really only need 1-2" in the front. On the other hand background plants have much larger root structures, so they need more room to grow. If you were to gear you substrate depth towards the foreground plants, your background plants wouldn't have enough space. On the other hand if you gear your substrate towards the background plants the front glass doesn't look nearly as pleasing with the high line of substrate and you waste money on substrate that isn't actually needed. By sloping the substrate you meet the needs of both while saving some money. Plus it also tends to make the aquarium look more natural and gives it more depth.

 

[PaulieFish]

Oh ok! Thanks purrbox, (sorry for the side note, dont wanna hijack it).