Stingray substrate or not

[viper0397]

I just want to please know how many of you use bare bottom tanks for your stingrays and how your rays react to it?

I am thinking of going bare bottom for multiple reasons. I see that a lot of people do it, but every time I ask in the groups on facebook I get chastised for it.

 

[keepinfish]

ive done both... i think they look good on bare bottom... but if you find the right sand/gravel, they rays seems to have fun working thru it looking for food and i enjoy watching that. Also i feel my aggression is down with sand because it gives them something to do.

 

[JK47]

ive done both... i think they look good on bare bottom... but if you find the right sand/gravel, they rays seems to have fun working thru it looking for food and i enjoy watching that. Also i feel my aggression is down with sand because it gives them something to do.

Any advice on a sand that is heavy? I am facing the same choice at the moment and know the sand I use will end up in my Ultima's.

 

[keepinfish]

several years ago i found at home depot a pool filter sand that was course.. had really no fine in it. i have bought several bags since and haven't been able to find the same stuff again. same brand and everything is really fine now.
so i broke down and got the caribsea torpedo beach and like it. pretty heavy and looks good. i mixed it with the pool filter sand in my main tank and it looks good. the torpedo beach is a little light colored for my liking but still looks good where the pool filter sand was a little more brown.
the marble is on 100% torpedo beach

next two pix is the pool filter sand that i liked the best.

 

[JK47]

Interesting. Thanks for the reply. This is Lapis Lustre #1C. My favorite sand but light enough to get sucked up into the intakes. Not a problem with overflows though. Viper are you running a sump with overflows? That may impact your decision.

 

[viper0397]

Interesting. Thanks for the reply. This is Lapis Lustre #1C. My favorite sand but light enough to get sucked up into the intakes. Not a problem with overflows though. Viper are you running a sump with overflows? That may impact your decision.



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Actually I am running an fx6 with a drip system. I don't have a floor drain in my basement so I use a pump to expel the excess water from my tank outside. The sand I was told to purchase from my local fish store it so fine that when my rays shake the sand off it goes everywhere. Fills up my fx6 and gets all inside my pump.

I have torpedo sand in my other tank and like keepinfish said it is pretty good as far as settling quickly. The tank in question though I might just leave bare bottom. I am going to try it for a bit and see how it goes.

 

[JK47]

Actually I am running an fx6 with a drip system. I don't have a floor drain in my basement so I use a pump to expel the excess water from my tank outside. The sand I was told to purchase from my local fish store it so fine that when my rays shake the sand off it goes everywhere. Fills up my fx6 and gets all inside my pump.

I have torpedo sand in my other tank and like keepinfish said it is pretty good as far as settling quickly. The tank in question though I might just leave bare bottom. I am going to try it for a bit and see how it goes.

Sounds good. Piece of advice: be diligent on testing you water for a while before and after you switch any substrate. That's is a lot of surface area to be removed at once. That will certainly impact the beneficial bacteria colony of your tank - in an ammonia spike until the filter/bacterial colony catches up.

 

[viper0397]

Sounds good. Piece of advice: be diligent on testing you water for a while before and after you switch any substrate. That's is a lot of surface area to be removed at once. That will certainly impact the beneficial bacteria colony of your tank - in an ammonia spike until the filter/bacterial colony catches up.

Yes I kind of figured that so I am not taking it all out at once. I have been doing it in steps. Take a little bit out and wait a couple of days and take some more out. Luckily there is only 60 pounds in a 240 gallon tank. Hopefully my drip system is helping to dilute it as well. I will check that for sure though! To be honest I forgot about checking the ammonia. Thank you for the insight!!

 

[SandNukka15]

I like to meet in the middle and just put 1/2 inch or so of substrate enough so they can cover themselves to feel secure and not too much where debtis can get caught

 

[viper0397]

Sounds good. Piece of advice: be diligent on testing you water for a while before and after you switch any substrate. That's is a lot of surface area to be removed at once. That will certainly impact the beneficial bacteria colony of your tank - in an ammonia spike until the filter/bacterial colony catches up.

I just checked my ammonia with my api test and I am somewhere between 0ppm and .25ppm. Closer to 0ppm. So I guess I will wait a couple of days to take the rest out.