Bare Floor Versus Substrate has been debated endlessly and will continue to be discussed and debated on MFK and on other fish forums. The bare floor proponents like the ease of maintenance, while the substrate camp proclaim bare floors ugly and "unnatural" for the fish. Some fishkeepers are tiling tank floors with beautiful results. This thread resurrected today reminded me of the bare floor debate.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?250971-Show-your-tiled-tanks!
I happen to be in the bare floor camp and have a great aversion for vacuuming substrate after my experience with our grossly overcrowded 55 gallon tank. I love the idea of feces and debris being removed directly off the floor instead of being broken down into bits and removed by filtration higher up in the tank. I had planned on my big tank being bare floor and was horrified to discover that the floor of my new tank is made out of two pieces of acrylic. The joint is an ugly gash across the floor of my tank. For nearly two years I agonized about what to do about the floor. BTW, the salesman lied by omission--he said the back and the top would be made out of two pieces of acrylic, and I was OK with that. After the fact, I reread my sales agreement and it stated that the front and sides would be one piece. By omission, I was supposed to figure out that the floor would also be joined. Anyway, I was very unhappy about the floor. I considered tiling. I considered painting it. Krylon could not recommend Krylon Fusion in my tank when I contacted them. I considered making my own acrylic tiles. Substrate is not an option for this tank as it would throw a wrench into my mechanical filtration.
There was a very good solution to my problem....one that I don't think has been done by anyone else yet. It truly is the best of two worlds....bare floor easy maintenance, a solution that no one in the substrate camp could call unnatural.
Here's my floor rug--a 3D low profile rocky background made by Universal Rocks to the dimensions of my floor.
I am pleased to have come with a solution to an ugly problem.
http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?250971-Show-your-tiled-tanks!
I happen to be in the bare floor camp and have a great aversion for vacuuming substrate after my experience with our grossly overcrowded 55 gallon tank. I love the idea of feces and debris being removed directly off the floor instead of being broken down into bits and removed by filtration higher up in the tank. I had planned on my big tank being bare floor and was horrified to discover that the floor of my new tank is made out of two pieces of acrylic. The joint is an ugly gash across the floor of my tank. For nearly two years I agonized about what to do about the floor. BTW, the salesman lied by omission--he said the back and the top would be made out of two pieces of acrylic, and I was OK with that. After the fact, I reread my sales agreement and it stated that the front and sides would be one piece. By omission, I was supposed to figure out that the floor would also be joined. Anyway, I was very unhappy about the floor. I considered tiling. I considered painting it. Krylon could not recommend Krylon Fusion in my tank when I contacted them. I considered making my own acrylic tiles. Substrate is not an option for this tank as it would throw a wrench into my mechanical filtration.
There was a very good solution to my problem....one that I don't think has been done by anyone else yet. It truly is the best of two worlds....bare floor easy maintenance, a solution that no one in the substrate camp could call unnatural.
Here's my floor rug--a 3D low profile rocky background made by Universal Rocks to the dimensions of my floor.
I am pleased to have come with a solution to an ugly problem.
