Tanks with no substrate?!?

[Casey]

Hi. I've been pricing tanks & I'm getting closer to finding what I want. What I've been debating is what kind of substrate. I've read lots of posts here about sand over gravel but I also want to know more about tanks with no substrate. I like the look of sand but gravel is all I'm familiar with. So, what I would like to know is the pros & cons of no substrate. Thanks a bunch!!

Casey

[Lydia]

Pros of no substrate: Much easier to keep clean
It's free, lol
It doesn't take as long to set up (as in, with sand you have to rinse it for a long time and you have to rinse gravel too)

Cons of no substrate: Not as nice looking
You can't have a planted aquarium without substrate, unless you just float plants or something like that
You are losing some good places for beneficial bacteria
You can see all the waste really easily, whereas with gravel it will blend in somewhat

[Damon]

Without Substrate:
Pros:
Nicer to look at
Easier to clean
Tank can hold more water

Cons:
Smaller bacterial bed
Fish won't show natural colors
Decorations may look funny just sitting on the tank floor

[Casey]

Thanks for the replies. I can't decide what to do about the substrate situation. I really like the sand but knowing my luck that will be a disaster!! I may just stick with gravel...I was thinking...If I stick with a "gravel look" could I use larger gravel/river rocks? Or, is the smaller sized gravel better? Thanks again!!

Casey

[starrfish71]

for years I kept my 45g show with no substrate. I had a large piece of drftwood on a slate base, and piled large rocks of all sorts in it. I had a variety of rather shy(or nocturnal) fish and the no-substrate enabled me to look beneath the tank and actually SEE my beautful fish. The tank was stunning and I got lots of compliments on it (but most people would ask why I had a tank with only two fish in it, when there was about 10)

[fishfreaks]

i think they all pretty much covered it but another pro of a bare bottom tank is you dont have all that gunk down there in the gravel. If you want gravel, i suggest the larger stuff. theres not as many places for the gunk to find a place down there.

[blixem]

Originally Posted by fishfreaks

i think they all pretty much covered it but another pro of a bare bottom tank is you dont have all that gunk down there in the gravel. If you want gravel, i suggest the larger stuff. theres not as many places for the gunk to find a place down there.

This also depends on what you want to put into the tank... if you put larger gravel in, you're doing a disservice to cory's whom love to push through the sand with their whiskers, as well as most loaches. Depending on how sharp the gravel is, some catfish can lose their whiskers on it as well. On the opposite side of that, if all you have is suckermouth type cats, they will probably enjoy the larger gravel, as well as snails (whom do fine in sand, but leave slime trails in it.)

[fishfreaks]

oh, i didnt see that she wanted cories.

[blixem]

Originally Posted by fishfreaks

oh, i didnt see that she wanted cories.

Don't think she ever said, I was just tossing out that the difference in substrate can make a difference in which fish you choose, and vice/versa.

[Casey]

I've got 2 cories & they're my favorites, so I definitely want to keep them happy. So, if I decided on sand, which I'm not sure I will...What type of filter will I need & what kind of siphon/vacuum will I need to clean the sand? From the posts I've read sand just seems like too much trouble. Decisions, decisions...

Casey

[euRasian32]

Go with the sand. Especially with cories. You don't have to siphon the substrate as often, and when you do, you only have to skim the surface of the sand with low to medium siphon flow (initiate your flow at full blast and then turn the flow down, before you start skimming/sweeping)

If you plan on placing any kind of decor, go with sand or gravel. There's nothing wrong with barebottom tanks, it's just that they're utilized mostly by wholesalers, single specimen only, or quarantine tanks.

Specific filtration isn't required. The placement of the intake is. I would recommend having your intake mid-level or higher to reduce dust/debris from being sucked up, to prevent damage to your impellar motor.

[Casey]

Thanks euRasian...I really like sand but I'm afraid that I won't be successful w/it. I'm going to keep reading & debating. I hope that I have a larger tank by September. I was looking @ 55/65g tanks but I've found a 75g @ a good price. Thanks again!!

Casey

[judya]

I'm using only enough sand to just cover the bottom - about a quarter inch or so. One benefit of sand on the bottom is to eliminate glare - fish seem to show better color, act more secure when the bottom is more natural. I use a neutral color to darker color sand or fine gravel.

As far as gravel size, the general recommendation is smaller gravel allows the fish to clean up food that falls to the bottom, bigger gravel traps the food between and it spoils.

By the way, I keep Lake Tanganyikan (African) cichlids -neolamprologous multifasciatus, a small shell dweller. They use their mouths to pick up pieces of sand and pile it into huge mounds, with the shell in the middle in a crater.

[mlefev]

I'm using sand, and haven't had any problems siphoning it. I have about 1/2 inch of a black, coarse sand for the bottom layer, and about 1/2 inch of a powdery golden sand for the top layer. My plants are thriving, my fish love it, and the couple of pond snails I have there clean most of the debris...they seem much happier on sand than gravel. When I siphon, I lose very little sand, it just takes a bit of patience to see how far above the sand you hold the tip of the tube to suck up the stuff you don't want in there.

I had gravel for about 8 months, and it was always a horrible mess when I'd pull up the UGF plates. I think once you got used to sand, you might like it also. Plus if you use a bucket to drain the water into while you clean, you can place a rag or something over the end of the tube that deposits the water into the bucket so you can capture and re-use the sand. Ive done that a few times now, and it seems to work pretty well...my chemicals are all balanced, etc. Of course I let the sand dry out and sift it as needed also.

I haven't had the sand set up too long, but I love it compared to gravel.

[maxpayne_lhp]

Oh that reminds me My betta tanks have no subtrate... most of the time they rest on the plants (floating)...
Don't think it's a good idea to have big tanks without subtrate