I have gravel in my 150 as of now and i was thinking of taking it out for parameter reasons and also cleaning ability is it worth it or no and yes i do know it looks like crap
Gravel or barebottom
- Thread starter Oscarboyz
- Start date
This is always a hot topic every time it comes up. Bare bottom tanks are a bit easier to clean but they are also unnatural for the fish and in the opinion of many...ghetto looking.
IMO an aquarium is a lot more than a box of water to keep a prize fish alive. It's a small home for our wet pets and should reflect as much of thier natural environment as possible. The "industrial prison" look might be easier to take care of but how many of you have bare concrete floors in your house?
IMO an aquarium is a lot more than a box of water to keep a prize fish alive. It's a small home for our wet pets and should reflect as much of thier natural environment as possible. The "industrial prison" look might be easier to take care of but how many of you have bare concrete floors in your house?
Gravel for sure
1. I looks cool and thats is what alot of this hobby is about! I try to make my tanks look as natural as possible and idk any lakes that are lined with glass and silicone.
2. If i were a fish stuck in a glass cube i would appreciate any atempt at making it more like home.
3. Your gravel holds alot of important bacteria and without it (depending on your set up) somthing like a filterchange will have much more of an impact on your system.
1. I looks cool and thats is what alot of this hobby is about! I try to make my tanks look as natural as possible and idk any lakes that are lined with glass and silicone.
2. If i were a fish stuck in a glass cube i would appreciate any atempt at making it more like home.
3. Your gravel holds alot of important bacteria and without it (depending on your set up) somthing like a filterchange will have much more of an impact on your system.
I would not have gravel for any tanks larger than 100g. Reasons:
1. Weight. Your tank is already heavy enough. Large tank with gravel will create alot more stress for your floor/foundation.
2. Space. There is the extra cubit square for your fish to swim in.
3. Cleaniness. In the long run you will have so much crap build up in your gravel becaues it's harder to siphon all the area in a large tank.
4. Better water quality. If you substitute gravel for water then you have more water to absorb ammonia/nitrate/nitrite....
1. Weight. Your tank is already heavy enough. Large tank with gravel will create alot more stress for your floor/foundation.
2. Space. There is the extra cubit square for your fish to swim in.
3. Cleaniness. In the long run you will have so much crap build up in your gravel becaues it's harder to siphon all the area in a large tank.
4. Better water quality. If you substitute gravel for water then you have more water to absorb ammonia/nitrate/nitrite....
i prefer barebottom tank large than 150g
space--sure thing, more area to swim around
bigger tank = bigger fish = bigger chaos..
imagined that gravel rumbling on the floor..
ANCIENT MONSTER RULEZ
space--sure thing, more area to swim around
bigger tank = bigger fish = bigger chaos..
imagined that gravel rumbling on the floor..
ANCIENT MONSTER RULEZ
Definately superior for maintanance and cleanliness reasons.
A lot of people say that you should have gravel because it feels more natural to the fish but in general I think most fish would prefer better water conditions if it was between the 2.
Some species of fish do not seem to like barebottom at all, especially some bottom dwellers, and I really wouldn't recommend it for them, but most fish seem to take to barebottom as well as substrate.
I would venture to say some fish actually seem to like barebottom better.
A lot of people say that you should have gravel because it feels more natural to the fish but in general I think most fish would prefer better water conditions if it was between the 2.
Some species of fish do not seem to like barebottom at all, especially some bottom dwellers, and I really wouldn't recommend it for them, but most fish seem to take to barebottom as well as substrate.
I would venture to say some fish actually seem to like barebottom better.
I like a substrate on the bottom of my tanks. I have sand in my 100 and gravel in my 125. Don't know what I will put in my next tank that will be 265 or better. I think that depending on the fish I like cichlids (hence my sn) and they like to dig somemething on the bottom is better than nothing and I personally dont believe that and inch or two of substrate takes away so much swiming space that it even matters and the trade off with beneficial bacterial is worth it. Just my .02 if it matters.
???????
240 gallon 5/8" thick glass plus water...2900+ lbs....crushed coral and gravil substrait...96 lbs.
The substrait in question is about 1.5 to 2 inches deep...not a whole lot of usable real estate...unless your a guppy.
I had a 135 gallon tank set up and running this way for slightly over 17 years...no excessive gravil vaccuming...no huge build ups...
This has to be the silliest argument yet...
The gravil substrait provides additional living serface for extra BB that converts ammonia/nitrite/nitrate an so is FAR more valuable than the TINY extra amount of water you have with a Bare bottom tank.
240 gallon 5/8" thick glass plus water...2900+ lbs....crushed coral and gravil substrait...96 lbs.
The substrait in question is about 1.5 to 2 inches deep...not a whole lot of usable real estate...unless your a guppy.
I had a 135 gallon tank set up and running this way for slightly over 17 years...no excessive gravil vaccuming...no huge build ups...
This has to be the silliest argument yet...
The gravil substrait provides additional living serface for extra BB that converts ammonia/nitrite/nitrate an so is FAR more valuable than the TINY extra amount of water you have with a Bare bottom tank.
If you are going to use the argument of extra BB living on the surface of gravel. Conversely, there are the extra heterotrophic bacteria swimming in extra water provided, consuming any dissolved nutrients in the water. It's a trade off issue.
For my 180g, I probably need about 25G of gravel. That's 25 gallon of water can be absorbed for an additional or two fish. Also 25g of gravel is freaking heavy and an unnecessary weight. It just might make or break a floor surface in terms of wrapping.
For my 180g, I probably need about 25G of gravel. That's 25 gallon of water can be absorbed for an additional or two fish. Also 25g of gravel is freaking heavy and an unnecessary weight. It just might make or break a floor surface in terms of wrapping.