Substrate or Bare on large tank?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo

Which substrate would u choose?

  • Gravel

    Votes: 25 32.1%
  • Play box sand

    Votes: 34 43.6%
  • Bare bottom

    Votes: 19 24.4%

  • Total voters
    78
I'll post pics as soon as my wife finds the camera charger, or as soon as I get p'ed off enough at her that I go buy a new one LOL.

For the record though, I use the paint on the outside back/bottom. Once the tank is filled with water you can't (or can barely) tell that the paint isn't inside the tank.
 
idk if anyone mentioned this but get some pool filter sand (PFS)....really cheap too at your local pool store and not hard to clean up...you can almost use a gravel vac the same way on this as you would with gravel
 
You already know my vote. I had examples for you. IMHO, that would be a clean look.

Kind of like a nice luxory G ride with just pimp wheels on it w/o all the stickers to make it look cheap.

Clean.
 
Thanks everyone for the comments. Anyways I see some mix reviews on choosing either PFS or paint bottom and back. Anyhow painting my tank is not an option because I ain't painting it in my condo and I ain't lifting it off the stand and moving it to paint it...Now with PFS does it cloud up the water from time to time? Will my VAC work with PFS? Also how much would it cost from homedepot and how much would I need to fill 8ft x 3ft 1-1.5" from the bottom of the tank?
 
I have a gravel bottom and would like to switch to pfs but am wondering how to make the transition in reguards to the removal of all bacteria in gravel..... wouldnt I essentialy be having to cycle the tank? I was thinking to put some pfs in a bucket and set it in tank for a week or so to gain the bacteria and then remove gravel. There a problem with this?
 
Caligula;4177490; said:
I have a gravel bottom and would like to switch to pfs but am wondering how to make the transition in reguards to the removal of all bacteria in gravel..... wouldnt I essentialy be having to cycle the tank? I was thinking to put some pfs in a bucket and set it in tank for a week or so to gain the bacteria and then remove gravel. There a problem with this?
You can switch over to PFS slowly. I mean take out the gravel little bit at a time. Let say take out 10 lbs gravel the first week while you are doing water change. Then same thing again next week . Til all out. But most of the bacteria in your filters. Just make sure don't clean your filters for two or three weeks after you switched to PFS. Hope this helps:)
 
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