Bare Bottom Equals Better/Worse?
- Thread starter thecoolguy
- Start date
I think it depends on what kind of fish you keep.
Fish that don't dig or burrow would be fine in a bare bottomed tank.
Fish that do like to dig, such as most of the larger central and south american cichlids, should be kept with a sand or gravel covered bottom. It gives them something to do.
For example I believe it would be cruel to keep a Midas/RD or Oscar in a bare bottomed tank since they seem to constantly dig.
Burt
Fish that don't dig or burrow would be fine in a bare bottomed tank.
Fish that do like to dig, such as most of the larger central and south american cichlids, should be kept with a sand or gravel covered bottom. It gives them something to do.
For example I believe it would be cruel to keep a Midas/RD or Oscar in a bare bottomed tank since they seem to constantly dig.
Burt
JardiniBoy;842182; said:... so I take it my BB is making my fish pale ... ?
the gar in my avatar is normally almost black (while in gravel)!!! i have had him in a bare bottom tank for a little over a month and his color is virtually gone! all of my tank params are and have been fine! how is this expalined?
Bare bottom all the way! For every reason. Add in some stones or some pieces of driftwood and that is it...
I don’t know if this has been touched upon but, on my tanks that are bare bottom, I paint most of the bottoms (on the outside) with black paint. The bottom is bare but all black, so I don’t know if this helps anyone’s situations. Also, I don’t know if this was from this site or another, but I have seen one person spray paint the bottom of their tank with spray paint that gives the appearance of texture, and he used one that looked like sand. From the picture he posted the bottom of the tank looked like sand but was actually bare. This could benefit the two camps if someone wants easy of cleaning of a bare tank and someone who wants the appearance of sand for the color of the fish. They still can’t dig but hey it’s a step closer. I might try this on the two tanks I have that are bare but I have not painted the bottoms yet.
demjor19;842590; said:
Thanks bro!
As Idealconcepts said above, I think it's not what's on (or not on) the bottom, but what color it is. So if you have a white BB tank some fish will look washed out, but if it's black (like mine) then no problems..
FWIW
I don't want to sound like a jerk, but i really hate bare bottoms. I personally like really natural looking tank set ups that best replicate a fish's environment.
Though bare bottoms are obviously easier to clean I don't like the way they look, and some fish (especially cichlids) just love to dig and move around rocks. You should let them, carry out their natural behavior.
Though bare bottoms are obviously easier to clean I don't like the way they look, and some fish (especially cichlids) just love to dig and move around rocks. You should let them, carry out their natural behavior.
i have both and i must admit i do prefer BB...easier to clean and i just like the look of em when the back/bottom is blacked out.
bare bottoms suck imo. they are easier to clean, but it allows for no planted plants, you can't possibly grow any heavier light plants unless u pot them, which looks bad 90% of the time, and of course most fish like some sand or gravel to move around on the bottom.
also, sand and gravel look way better......unless it is weird colored gravel, i dislike that aswell.
also, sand and gravel look way better......unless it is weird colored gravel, i dislike that aswell.
