I guess the answer may in part depend on your expectations on keeping the fish. Some fish have exceptional behavior given the right substrate which will never be seen in a bare bottom. Some regularly sift the sand like a vacuum, others constantly pick at it, while others will partly or fully bury their bodies in the sand. There are gravel movers / hole diggers, etc.Okay so using a bare bottom is okay?
If you don't care about seeing natural behaviors (like those) that most people will never see with bare bottoms, then it might be okay. Otoh, if you tend more towards what I'd call the "naturalist" type of person, who wants to see fish as close to natural as possible, then you might make other choices.
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