I'd suggest substrate. People with bare bottom tanks don't care about the happiness of their fish. Only being lazy and making their tank easier to maintain. I'm a believer that fish would be happier and healthier in an aquarium that reminds them more of nature.
180 gallon tank
- Thread starter flavis05
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or you could spray paint the bottom of your tank (on the outside) a stone texture paint and it will look just like sand 
I'd like some more thoughts on this myself, I don't think people with bare bottom tanks are lazy nor do they not care about their fish, I have seen some pretty cool looking bare bottom tanks and have been leaning that way myself. I have always had gravel, tried black sand once and hated it, and now leaning towards trying bare bottom. Who else has some input on pros and cons of bare bottom tanks??
i dont see the point in having a bare bottom tank.
1. Its not any harder to clean then gravel, sure it gets sucked up sometimes thats why i go with heavier sand then pool filter sand. i just took some beach sand and cleaned it, works great.
2. If you plan on having any plants, they almost always need a substrate for nutrition, unless you have floating plants.
3. Bacteria grows in the substrate that provides additional filteration and also nitrate reduction microbes. Substrate harbours the exact same beneficial bacteria that we all want in our filters
4. Fish naturally have sand, rocks or gravel in their environment
5. It looks better.
That basically sums up my feelings on bare bottom vs substrate.
i think that basically sums it up.
1. Its not any harder to clean then gravel, sure it gets sucked up sometimes thats why i go with heavier sand then pool filter sand. i just took some beach sand and cleaned it, works great.
2. If you plan on having any plants, they almost always need a substrate for nutrition, unless you have floating plants.
3. Bacteria grows in the substrate that provides additional filteration and also nitrate reduction microbes. Substrate harbours the exact same beneficial bacteria that we all want in our filters
4. Fish naturally have sand, rocks or gravel in their environment
5. It looks better.
That basically sums up my feelings on bare bottom vs substrate.
i think that basically sums it up.
I would imagine that fish feel more comfortable with something on the bottom, however until fish can talk I guess we wont really know. Personally I like sand first and gravel second. I give my tanks the most natural look I can. That's part of what I get out keeping them- having a little cube of nature that I would not otherwise be able to see. One of my tanks has an Oscar, 2 plecos, and a turtle so it would be way easier to to clean a bare bottom.
pros: much easier to keep clean
cons: does not look natural
i've seen some cool bare bottom aquariums also, but i always think how much better even those tanks would look with even a thin layer of substrate or sand
///// I'd suggest substrate. People with bare bottom tanks don't care about the happiness of their fish. Only being lazy and making their tank easier to maintain. I'm a believer that fish would be happier and healthier in an aquarium that reminds them more of nature.%20//////
Totally disagree.... I also have 180g bare bottom tank and it not mean that I'm lazy or don't care about my fish. I still do 3 30% wc a week and test my water every other day. It's all about choice, in this hobby there is nothing right or wrong. Having substrate or sand doesn't mean the fish are happy. I believe that happiness is base on the health of your fish, keep the tank clean and free from disease.
My stock are:
9 Discus
4 Balloon Ram
5 Congo Tetra
18 Neon Tetra
3 Phantom Blue Pleco L128
1 Golden Nugget Pleco L018
2 Clown Loach
Here is a look of my bare bottom 180g tank:
View attachment 726922
Also substrate is not the only method for extra filtration in the tank... again it is all about choice. For me, I go for eco plants filter and they work great for me even if I do wc every two week the reading of my ammonia and nitrite still ZERO!
Moreover, when you have an outbreak in your tank with a substrate... man its a pain in the ass to treat the tank. That is my 2cents opinion.
Here is what my Plants Filter look like... they do a great job to break down all ammonia, nitrite and nitrate!
View attachment 726933View attachment 726934View attachment 726935
Totally disagree.... I also have 180g bare bottom tank and it not mean that I'm lazy or don't care about my fish. I still do 3 30% wc a week and test my water every other day. It's all about choice, in this hobby there is nothing right or wrong. Having substrate or sand doesn't mean the fish are happy. I believe that happiness is base on the health of your fish, keep the tank clean and free from disease.
My stock are:
9 Discus
4 Balloon Ram
5 Congo Tetra
18 Neon Tetra
3 Phantom Blue Pleco L128
1 Golden Nugget Pleco L018
2 Clown Loach
Here is a look of my bare bottom 180g tank:
View attachment 726922
Also substrate is not the only method for extra filtration in the tank... again it is all about choice. For me, I go for eco plants filter and they work great for me even if I do wc every two week the reading of my ammonia and nitrite still ZERO!
Moreover, when you have an outbreak in your tank with a substrate... man its a pain in the ass to treat the tank. That is my 2cents opinion.
Here is what my Plants Filter look like... they do a great job to break down all ammonia, nitrite and nitrate!
View attachment 726933View attachment 726934View attachment 726935If you decide to go with sand, try a local pool supply place. I couldn't find pool filter sand at my local Home Depot either, but I was able to pick it up at the pool supply place for $10.00 per 50lb. bag.
