Gravel/sand and other things on the bottom :)

[Nyghtfire]

Heya, I've just been flicking through pictures and i've noticed some tanks have absolutely no gravel at all.
got me thinking wether there is a reason to have gravel, or is it purely a cosmetic issue?
any info people could give would be appreciated.

 

[Pnoiz1]

Gravel/sand serves as a purpose to many fish. Filter feeders will scoop up gravel/sand to find food and then release it through their gills. I see Geophagus doing this at the LFS all the time. Also, I've seen freshwater eels burrow themselves in the substrate to hide or just...chill? However, I have been noticing that some bigger tanks, with Pbass and Arowana, some owners like to keep the tank bare and just have a few plastic plants floating around. I'm sure someone else could answer your question in greater detail, but I just wanted to share my thoughts.

 

[ISteedman]

I always thought that sand/gravel acted at a place for bacteria to grow and help aid in the breaking down of waste.

 

[Sab_Fan]

gravel/sand can make for a more natural look, and definitely comes in handy if you plan on doing a planted tank . . . on the other hand, a plain-bottom tank can be a lot easier to keep clean . . .

 

[packer43064]

Gravel/sand serves as a purpose to many fish. Filter feeders will scoop up gravel/sand to find food and then release it through their gills. I see Geophagus doing this at the LFS all the time. Also, I've seen freshwater eels burrow themselves in the substrate to hide or just...chill? However, I have been noticing that some bigger tanks, with Pbass and Arowana, some owners like to keep the tank bare and just have a few plastic plants floating around. I'm sure someone else could answer your question in greater detail, but I just wanted to share my thoughts.

I always thought that sand/gravel acted at a place for bacteria to grow and help aid in the breaking down of waste.

gravel/sand can make for a more natural look, and definitely comes in handy if you plan on doing a planted tank . . . on the other hand, a plain-bottom tank can be a lot easier to keep clean . . .

All are true statements. I love my sand no matter what.

 

[throttle]

I like bare for ease of maintenance, but I do put in a lot of driftwood with plastic plants attached for territories and to breakup the tank so it doesn't look so plain.

 

[ISteedman]

I recently switched from gravel to sand. Gravel tends to trap too much waste and can eventually cause a problem if not heavily vacuumed/mixed up. As I have found with sand, the waste sits on top of the sand, making it easy to vacuum up!

 

[Nyghtfire]

I can agree with the gravel, my gravel is so dirty, and i tried vacumming it heavily twice a day for a week, didn't work and my fish just gave me a look that said, don't bother stupid it's not working, just feed us

 

[tankboi]

Bare bottomed tanks are definitely easier to maintain but look too "petshopish" for me. I like sand myself. I got into this hobby to bring some nature inside which IMO includes some substrate not bare bottoms or tiles!