substrate

[Wyld-Fyre]

Agree that its all a matter of personal preference, but personally I'd like to keep a 'natural' setting as possible. It helps my fish to feel more 'at home' with my gravel and a variety of plants.

 

[David]

Isn't it also pretty nasty if there isn't any gravel to disguise all of the crap that falls to the bottom?

 

[FishDan]

Isn't it also pretty nasty if there isn't any gravel to disguise all of the crap that falls to the bottom?

Not really. Sand is similar as a glass bottom. You can see the "crap". This is, IMHO, a good thing. It serves as a visual reminder to clean ones tank. Gravel makes it easier to forget that you have to vacuum up the "crap" because it hides it. You don't want "crap" hiding in the gravel. You want it out of your tank. Of course, I am not saying don't use gravel, so long as it is properly maintained. You also have to maintain a sand or glass bottomed tank. I know from personal experience, that "out of sight, out of mind" is all to real a phenomenon. If I don't see it, I often forget about it. This is not a good thing for my fish. I have sand in all my tanks. Not only does it serve to remind me to clean up, I also think it looks much better than gravel.

\Dan

 

[David]

Isn't it also pretty nasty if there isn't any gravel to disguise all of the crap that falls to the bottom?

Not really. Sand is similar as a glass bottom. You can see the "crap". This is, IMHO, a good thing. It serves as a visual reminder to clean ones tank. Gravel makes it easier to forget that you have to vacuum up the "crap" because it hides it. You don't want "crap" hiding in the gravel. You want it out of your tank. Of course, I am not saying don't use gravel, so long as it is properly maintained. You also have to maintain a sand or glass bottomed tank. I know from personal experience, that "out of sight, out of mind" is all to real a phenomenon. If I don't see it, I often forget about it. This is not a good thing for my fish. I have sand in all my tanks. Not only does it serve to remind me to clean up, I also think it looks much better than gravel.

\Dan

Lol. You said "crap" one too many times. Anyway doesn't the beneficial bateria that resides in the gravel break down the waste, or "crap" as we like to call it, to a certain extent, making the aquarium not only easier to maintain, but more aesthetically pleasing as well. IMHO, the pros of having gravel as a substrate in your tank, even if is very fine, far outweigh the cons.

 

[cation]

Anyway doesn't the beneficial bateria that resides in the gravel break down the waste, or "crap" as we like to call it

Not really. It decomposes in your tank, and releases ammonia, and the bacteria convert it to nitrite, then nitrate. But it's not as though the rest of the poop just disappears. Also, if you count on bacteria to "clean" your tank, you will end up with sky high nitrate readings.

 

[David]

Anyway doesn't the beneficial bateria that resides in the gravel break down the waste, or "crap" as we like to call it

Not really. It decomposes in your tank, and releases ammonia, and the bacteria convert it to nitrite, then nitrate. But it's not as though the rest of the poop just disappears. Also, if you count on bacteria to "clean" your tank, you will end up with sky high nitrate readings.

Of course I agree 110%. I know full well that the key to a healthy tank is regular maintenance, which includes water changes and vacuuming. However it isn't necessary for you to do ALL of the work, the bacteria do help out a little, which is where the substrate comes in handy. If you have gravel in your tanik, you can usually get away with vacuuming only once a week, whereas without substrate IMO it's much more high-maintenance (maybe once every 3 days or so, depending on the messiness of your fish, and how much you care about your tank hygiene).

 

[cation]

The amount of poop is the same either way. And if your tank is cycled, it has developed enough bacteria to handle the amount of waste produced - that amount of waste is the same whether you have gravel or a bare tank. And it's not as though you have more bacteria in a tank with gravel - they only colonize the top of the gravel anyway, and they'll colonize the bare tank just as well.


Sorry, didn't mean to imply you don't clean your tank . I was being theoretical.

 

[David]

Yes I understand. All I was saying is that the bacteria don't break down the fish waste entirely, and that it will take some work on your part to get rid of some of the "leftovers" The gravel would probably help to disguise this unsightly mess until you get around to vacuuming, which can probably be put off for a longer period of time in a tank with gravel than in a bare-bottomed tank, aesthetically speaking.

 

[cation]

True, true. That's why I have sand in my 20 and my 6. But in the unfiltered divided betta tank, and the fry growout tank, I have to change the water more often anyways, and no substrate means I can do a more thourough job in a shorter amount of time. It just depends on what the tank is being used for, I guess.

 

[FishDan]

Isn't it also pretty nasty if there isn't any gravel to disguise all of the crap that falls to the bottom?

Not really. Sand is similar as a glass bottom. You can see the "crap". This is, IMHO, a good thing. It serves as a visual reminder to clean ones tank. Gravel makes it easier to forget that you have to vacuum up the "crap" because it hides it. You don't want "crap" hiding in the gravel. You want it out of your tank. Of course, I am not saying don't use gravel, so long as it is properly maintained. You also have to maintain a sand or glass bottomed tank. I know from personal experience, that "out of sight, out of mind" is all to real a phenomenon. If I don't see it, I often forget about it. This is not a good thing for my fish. I have sand in all my tanks. Not only does it serve to remind me to clean up, I also think it looks much better than gravel.

\Dan

Lol. You said "crap" one too many times. Anyway doesn't the beneficial bateria that resides in the gravel break down the waste, or "crap" as we like to call it, to a certain extent, making the aquarium not only easier to maintain, but more aesthetically pleasing as well. IMHO, the pros of having gravel as a substrate in your tank, even if is very fine, far outweigh the cons.

Between you and cation my points have been covered. I did just want to say again though, that I use a substrate, in case you missed it. I do see the value and "ease of use" of a bare tank, I just prefer the look of a more natural tank. Sand is my favorite, but gravel is better looking than bare IMO. Again, however, I do see the upsides to a bare tank, I just don't like it. Aesthetically.

\Dan

 

[David]

Yes I agree. I am not for gravel 100%, but I do think that show tanks ought to have it. For a quarantine/hospital/growout tank, it is obviously more beneficial to omit the substrate altogether.

 

[xbanditsx]

Is there anywhere to get sand in small quantities? I don't think I want to buy a huge bag of sandbox sand and only use a few pounds.

 

[FishDan]

Your LFS should sell smaller bags. Also at my local Home Depot at least I was able to get fairly small bags. You probably just need to shop around a little bit to find smaller bags.

\Dan

 

[Link]

Yes I agree. I am not for gravel 100%, but I do think that show tanks ought to have it. For a quarantine/hospital/growout tank, it is obviously more beneficial to omit the substrate altogether.

Totally agree. Couldn't have said it better myself