aro, datnoid, and clown loach... bare bottom?

[rkc772]

i am going to have a new 180 gal tank and planning to put 1 aro, 6 datnoids, 5 clown loaches. would it be better to have gravel or bare bottom? not based on looks but based on stability of the tank in terms of nitrate, nitrite and amonia levels. it will have a 300 gal capacity wet/dry filter with 5x turn around on water per hour.

 

[DiXoN]

well bare bottom is better if your going to remove the crap when you see it but i personaly like a substrate in my tanks as it looks more natural.

 

[rook45]

bare bottom is easier to clean and you'll have better water quality. but with a big sump it probably won't matter much if you do have gravel

 

[johno27]

I did a bare bottom this time around and find it very easy to maintain water quality. I would have to agree that substrate will make the tank look better. Some may also argue that if you did an under gravel filter that would be more beneficial than the bare bottom for water quality but i have never been a fan of UG filters.

 

[qumqats]

5 clown loaches. would it be better to have gravel or bare bottom?

The clown loaches are bottom feeders and dig through the substrate looking for food. They'd be happier with sand or a fine gravel. You'll also need to have lots of hiding places for them.

Clown info
Clown FAQ

 

[Idealconcepts]

My 180gal I am going to set up in a month will be bare bottom for easy of cleaning since I have two other display tanks to take care of. If you want substrate use PFS or 3M CQ, sand type substrates are easier to vac food and poop off of. Just use a prefilter to make sure sand doesn’t get into your filter and pumps. Since a bare bottom is easier to clean and you can get all the junk off the bottom of the tank, bare bottom should be more stable as long as you maintain you filter and are consistent with you water changes.

 

[ewurm]

The clown loaches are bottom feeders and dig through the substrate looking for food. They'd be happier with sand or a fine gravel. You'll also need to have lots of hiding places for them.

Clown info
Clown FAQ

I agree. Use a substrate. My loaches eat from midwater too, but they also clean the substrate. Add some Corys and OTOs and you are good to go.

 

[davo]

The clown loaches are bottom feeders and dig through the substrate looking for food. They'd be happier with sand or a fine gravel. You'll also need to have lots of hiding places for them.

Clown info
Clown FAQ

i agree, the clowns will prefer the substrate, even if its a small layer

 

[riskistang]

Due a thin layer of black thai sand

 

[davo]

ewurm was quicker off the mark that time