Aro tank barebottom or planted ?

[CichlidL]

Hey everyone
I am planning to have a new tank(8'x3.5'x2.5') for my aro..should i keep the bottom of that tank bare or should i add substrate ? as i have heard bare bottom tank causes DE in silvers due to reflection etc...? secondly what should be the thickness of the glass for the tank with the above stated dimensions ? Thanks in advance

 

[spwd]

It's down to personal preference on the bare bottom/substrate nobody really knows what causes DE,me personally I tried the bare bottom and didn't like It,people.say I te easier to maintain but if you have one bit of crap on the bottom you WILL see it and have to get it out,if you have sand etc,it looks more natural too,hope this helps,oh and over here in the UK that size tank like my 8x28x30 would be 12mm glass.

 

[linh903]

Bare Bottom would not cause D.E because when u look from the top of the tank you will see no reflection. And honestly i have tried both planted and bare bottom, Bare bottom is so much easier just every week suck out the poop on the bottom, and i would say if the tank is boring add a piece of drift wood and tie plants to it, I have a 8x2.5x2.5 and this makes it look nice and easy to clean

 

[Kaya]

bro.. use this to calculate thickness and safety..

http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium

barebottom is easier to maintain.. end of the day the aro will need almost all the space to swim.. so even the driftwood or any other deco can be kept to a minimum.. if you feel odd about the bare bottom.. check if you can fit tiles above the glass.. i read a thread on the same on mfk.. search it.. about DE.. no one knows why.. most of it is assumptions.. i believe its because of injury to the head while they jump when kept in tanks.. all my aros have bailed out.. once i had all 3 jumping out at the same time.. and they've had different variations of de.. but prob i'm hallucinating.. post movin to the pond i feel they are much better and no signs of de now.. dont worry about DE.. silvers are bound to get it at some point of time.

 

[soupa2]

Kaya: very nice link to research from.. thanks..

 

[CichlidL]

It's down to personal preference on the bare bottom/substrate nobody really knows what causes DE,me personally I tried the bare bottom and didn't like It,people.say I te easier to maintain but if you have one bit of crap on the bottom you WILL see it and have to get it out,if you have sand etc,it looks more natural too,hope this helps,oh and over here in the UK that size tank like my 8x28x30 would be 12mm glass.

Bare Bottom would not cause D.E because when u look from the top of the tank you will see no reflection. And honestly i have tried both planted and bare bottom, Bare bottom is so much easier just every week suck out the poop on the bottom, and i would say if the tank is boring add a piece of drift wood and tie plants to it, I have a 8x2.5x2.5 and this makes it look nice and easy to clean

Thanks

 

[CichlidL]

bro.. use this to calculate thickness and safety..

http://www.theaquatools.com/building-your-aquarium

barebottom is easier to maintain.. end of the day the aro will need almost all the space to swim.. so even the driftwood or any other deco can be kept to a minimum.. if you feel odd about the bare bottom.. check if you can fit tiles above the glass.. i read a thread on the same on mfk.. search it.. about DE.. no one knows why.. most of it is assumptions.. i believe its because of injury to the head while they jump when kept in tanks.. all my aros have bailed out.. once i had all 3 jumping out at the same time.. and they've had different variations of de.. but prob i'm hallucinating.. post movin to the pond i feel they are much better and no signs of de now.. dont worry about DE.. silvers are bound to get it at some point of time.

Thanks bro...thats a very helpful link thanks for sharing