Bare Bottom or gravel
- Thread starter Oscarboyz
- Start date
I'm new to fish keeping, but this is what I have experienced with bare bottom and gravel.
When I moved my 20 gal to my living room, I found all of the waste under the gravel like you mentioned. I had been doing weekly water changes with gravel vacuums, so I don't think that it was my lack of wc. I ended up lowering the gravel to as low as it would go, but could still hold plastic plants. This seemed to help a little. When I removed the gravel again to make the 20 a Q tank there wasn't as much of a mess.
The problem I have with bare bottom is that my filter on the 20 doesn't seem to have much mechanical filtration power. If I want the aquarium to be clean I have to take the waste out from the bottom with a brine shrimp net on a daily basis. I think it helps with seeing if your fish are eating or sick though.
Also another thing I've noticed is my albino bichir seems to have a harder time griping the bare bottom while moving around. My other bichir, which is on substrate, has no problem.
When I moved my 20 gal to my living room, I found all of the waste under the gravel like you mentioned. I had been doing weekly water changes with gravel vacuums, so I don't think that it was my lack of wc. I ended up lowering the gravel to as low as it would go, but could still hold plastic plants. This seemed to help a little. When I removed the gravel again to make the 20 a Q tank there wasn't as much of a mess.
The problem I have with bare bottom is that my filter on the 20 doesn't seem to have much mechanical filtration power. If I want the aquarium to be clean I have to take the waste out from the bottom with a brine shrimp net on a daily basis. I think it helps with seeing if your fish are eating or sick though.
Also another thing I've noticed is my albino bichir seems to have a harder time griping the bare bottom while moving around. My other bichir, which is on substrate, has no problem.
Personally hate the look of bare bottom, but its all personal preference. To me bare bottom looks like a dealer's tank, not a 'home' for the fish. I'd only do bare bottom for grow-out tanks for fry and for feeder fish.
If you do remove the gravel, keep in mind the gravel is a big source of nitrifying bacteria and its removal will affect the biological / nitrogen cycle in your tank, so do it slowly (over a few days minimum).
If you do remove the gravel, keep in mind the gravel is a big source of nitrifying bacteria and its removal will affect the biological / nitrogen cycle in your tank, so do it slowly (over a few days minimum).
I have tanks with both bare bottom and with gravel. Personally, I believe if you are going to have decorations in your tank, it is important to have gravel. Even the most careful can drop an ornament while cleaning, and with bare bottom, your risk of damaging your tank is higher..at least imo. Also, I noticed that the fish I have in bare bottoms do not seem as happy as those with gravel.
