Bare Bottom Tank

[Nick16]

as some of you may know, i am planning to have my 55UK gallon as a rainbow fish tank with some bosemani, m.praecox. and perhaps a pair of keyholes and a few plecs. but i am very tempted but having a bare bottom tank substrate wise (i will have some redmoor etc) as it is soo easy to clean.

will the fish be ok with this or not?

 

[Miah002]

They should be fine.

 

[MrWhite]

I don't see why it would be a problem why not go with sand it looks very nice and the waste just sits on the top a little vac ever week it looks brand new

 

[Nick16]

i have about 20 baga of black gravel lying around but i just like the idea of it being so easy to clean, also i could introduce some snails and then get a few loaches after a while if everything goes well but thats another matter.

there would be no point in me using sand if i have loads of gravel but you didnt know that but cheers for the idea.

 

[Miah002]

Is it big or small gravel?

 

[MrWhite]

If i was you i would use the gravel its a lot more attractive than a open bottom that's jut my opinion though but its up to you mate but a bare bottom should be fine unless you have earth feeding fish that like to scoop through the substrate to feed

 

[Nick16]

the gravel is resonably large, a bit bigger than pea gravel. no i dont have corries or other substrate sifting fish. i was told you cant have corries with gravel.

 

[minxfishy]

I personally wouldnt leave it bare bummed, but then thats just me, the fish I dont think would care either way, unless it was very reflective, then that might confuse them.

Go with fine black gravel if you can get it, brings out the colours of the rainbows beautifully, black background too

 

[Nick16]

i have the background sorted out, always black for me when i have planted tanks

i cant afford to buy fine black gravel, the stuff i have will have to do i guess. i have like 20 bags of it, it cost me over £30

 

[Truck]

you know the keyholes will probably dig in the substrate if there is one?

 

[Inchworm]

Hi Nick16

I think you'll be happier with a substrate than without one. Every little bit of dirt shows up on the bare glass.

 

[Nick16]

i guess so. i think i will sell my small tank so i have a bit more room.

 

[Mikaila31]

If you want the tank easy to clean, go with bare bottom. I've run bare bottom tanks for a while, they are by far the most efficient way to keep fish.

 

[Nick16]

im very tempted its hard. i think this is what i will do.

the 55uk gallon that will be downstairs can have back gravel as it looks more aestetically pleasing but my 30G upstairs i will keep as bare bottom and have plecs and a shoal of fish, harlequins?

 

[Tigginjenn]

as some of you may know, i am planning to have my 55UK gallon as a rainbow fish tank with some bosemani, m.praecox. and perhaps a pair of keyholes and a few plecs. but i am very tempted but having a bare bottom tank substrate wise (i will have some redmoor etc) as it is soo easy to clean.

will the fish be ok with this or not?

I was wondering the same thing. Lol. I was originally planning on a discus tank, and there was no question I would do bare bottom, but what I did was paint the underside of my tank with a textured spray paint, filled in with a solid flat, to do away woth the APPEARANCE of a bare bottom. Turned out great. Looks like beach sand. After reading some of the posts on here, I'm comfortable with doing it with rainbows, but wanted to share my solution for an ugly, glass bottom aquarium. Good luck. BTW, I'm looking at setting up a 54 gal corner tank for mine.