Hey guys. Long time since Ive been on here haha. I was just wondering what you guys think of having no decorations VS just having sand. Ive seen it on a lot of monster tanks, and I have pretty similar fish. Was just wondering if that's better for cleaning, or if it is to stressful for the fish. Etc. tanks in advance!
Bare tank VS Decorations
- Thread starter sawickib
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Tyler_Fishman
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Sand is a bad Choice for monster tanks, big fish produce a lot of
Waste and that waste can collect in the sand bed which produces hydrogen sulfide, which could Kill your fish, and odds are you aren't vacuuming a 500 gallon fish tank daily it's just too much work, shallow sand is often pushed around by bottom dwellers
And creates ugly bald patches, while deep sand beds are hard to maintain. Bare bottom is best for monster tanks, and is usually the safest bet, which is why most fish are bred in bare bottom tanks. Nice decor should be large pieces of petrified driftwood, which do a good job at emulating fish's natural habitat
Waste and that waste can collect in the sand bed which produces hydrogen sulfide, which could Kill your fish, and odds are you aren't vacuuming a 500 gallon fish tank daily it's just too much work, shallow sand is often pushed around by bottom dwellers
And creates ugly bald patches, while deep sand beds are hard to maintain. Bare bottom is best for monster tanks, and is usually the safest bet, which is why most fish are bred in bare bottom tanks. Nice decor should be large pieces of petrified driftwood, which do a good job at emulating fish's natural habitat
Hey Sawickib, been a while, nice to see you around again.
Agreed with Tyler-F regarding sand not being the best choice for the usual oddballs and monster fish, though it entirely depends on what species of fish and tank size you have.
That info might help a bit more in determing if sand and/or decor is needed or not.
Agreed with Tyler-F regarding sand not being the best choice for the usual oddballs and monster fish, though it entirely depends on what species of fish and tank size you have.
That info might help a bit more in determing if sand and/or decor is needed or not.
Agree, it will help to know the fish species. I can however offer a few observations.
Some sort of substrate is generally necessary. Fish over bare glass bottom tanks will be under stress. There is of course also the issue of the biological processes that occur in the substrate which are essential to a healthy tank. Now, having said that, bare bottom tanks can work in special circumstances, but it means a lot more regular maintenance, and is not a permanent solution--or shouldn't be if the fish health and condition is important to you.
As for other decor, this depends upon the fish. Every species is programmed by evolution in their DNA to "expect" their specific environment. Denied this, they will again be under stress. Not only is this cruel to the fish, it is risking their health seriously, as stress is the prime cause of 95% of fish disease.
Byron.
Some sort of substrate is generally necessary. Fish over bare glass bottom tanks will be under stress. There is of course also the issue of the biological processes that occur in the substrate which are essential to a healthy tank. Now, having said that, bare bottom tanks can work in special circumstances, but it means a lot more regular maintenance, and is not a permanent solution--or shouldn't be if the fish health and condition is important to you.
As for other decor, this depends upon the fish. Every species is programmed by evolution in their DNA to "expect" their specific environment. Denied this, they will again be under stress. Not only is this cruel to the fish, it is risking their health seriously, as stress is the prime cause of 95% of fish disease.
Byron.
Thanks all for the replies!
I'm not so worried about the sand as I have around 10 geophagus and a large L25 that seems to not keep any sand in one place haha. Its also quite deep so it's been helping with bacteria growth I hope, the tank is more than 3 years old as well.
Ill give some more info on the fish though. Its a 180 gallon tank. The stock includes, Gymnothorax Polyurondon (Freshwater tiger moray), Geophagus Red Head Tapajo, Geophagus Winemilleri, Red Severums, Mbu puffer, L25, L114, LDA007, Hoplo catfish, rope fish, pearl gourami, and Congo tetras.
If anyone is worried about the size of the fish, don't worry no one is to large for the tank yet.
I'm not so worried about the sand as I have around 10 geophagus and a large L25 that seems to not keep any sand in one place haha. Its also quite deep so it's been helping with bacteria growth I hope, the tank is more than 3 years old as well.
Ill give some more info on the fish though. Its a 180 gallon tank. The stock includes, Gymnothorax Polyurondon (Freshwater tiger moray), Geophagus Red Head Tapajo, Geophagus Winemilleri, Red Severums, Mbu puffer, L25, L114, LDA007, Hoplo catfish, rope fish, pearl gourami, and Congo tetras.
If anyone is worried about the size of the fish, don't worry no one is to large for the tank yet.
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Also wanted to add, the tank is currently pretty densely decorated with driftwood and a castle in the middle, that my eel is commonly in. But there is also plenty of open space on the sand bed and in the water column.
Sorry I messed up on the original post, I don't want bare bottom at all, what I meant to say was , is it better to do nothing but sand, or sand with decorations. *facepalm*
Sorry I messed up on the original post, I don't want bare bottom at all, what I meant to say was , is it better to do nothing but sand, or sand with decorations. *facepalm*
I don't see any problems now with respect to the aquascape. And to answer your last sentence specific question, sand and decor (geared to what the fish expect) is always better for the fish. You have lots of driftwood, which is perfect.
Byron.
Byron.
DianaWelch
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I guess a bit of decoration will do sawickib. Most of the times, plain and simple are the best bet. Just make sure the substrate and decorations won't occupy most of the space.
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Tyler_Fishman
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Geophagus do a good job of cleansing and turning substrate like sand it's their Niche, they are the corydoras of the cichlid world, I wouldn't deprive sand sifting species of sand for the entirety of its life, So I think a 1 inch sand bed would be OK since the Geophagus will be sifting through its oftenly, it will reduce Maintance
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