Very Curious RE: bare bottom tanks

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nospeed411

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Aug 13, 2009
96
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Central PA
Are bare bottom tanks mainly for people who are fish breeders?
Is it fact that they are easier to keep clean?

Feel free to post some pics if your tank is bare bottom. TIA
 
easier to care for imo. My 265g is bare bottom (notice pic in avatar). Had lots of sand and stuff in it, but my 2'+catfish kept making sand dunes on the sides of the tank.

I love how the bare bottom looks. Nice change...plus, provides lots of llight underneath the tank to work on the sump, etc

Still have sand/gravel in the other tanks tho
 
It is much easier to prevent waste from building up on the bottom of a bare bottomed tank for many reasons...

You can shoot filter returns at the bottom without worrying about stirring up sand...

Since the bottom is flat & smooth currents are not broken up as much thus a little current goes a longer way...

Since there is no substrate for particles to fall between or lock into, waste particles are more likely to be wasted into an intake...

When doing tank maintenance, there is no concern for suckign up sand/gravel so it is faster/easier to siphon off the bottom...



The main reason we use substrate, is because we like the way it looks...


Some fish "enjoy" digging, but they can live without doing so...


Eartheaters may stress out a bit if they don't have sand to sift, but I think they would learn to live with it as well...


Substrate does increase the "surface area" within the system thus giving bacteria additional options of a place to live, but it is exceptionally rare for a system to not have enough "surface area" for bacteria to live... some leads suggest it is implossible to not have enough surface area...
 
I'll jump in on they are easier to clean. I have used gravel, sand and bare bottom and not only do I like the look of bare bottom but its so much easier to keep clean.
 
I switched my bichir tank from gravel to bare bottom. (Pics in my albums)
All the waste goes right to the filters instead of getting stuck in the gravel. I love it.

Now when I do water changes instead of scaring the hell out of my fish moving stuff around and vacuuming gravel. I just turn the python on drain half the water and then fill.
 
tcarswell;3612172; said:
I switched my bichir tank from gravel to bare bottom. (Pics in my albums)
All the waste goes right to the filters instead of getting stuck in the gravel. I love it.

Now when I do water changes instead of scaring the hell out of my fish moving stuff around and vacuuming gravel. I just turn the python on drain half the water and then fill.

brb dog just threw up..
Click to expand...

ha! I checked out your gallery...I like your tank without gravel much better!
p.s. send your doggie to my house!!! he can barf here anytime! Cute dog!;)
 
nospeed411;3612203; said:
ha! I checked out your gallery...I like your tank without gravel much better!
p.s. send your doggie to my house!!! he can barf here anytime! Cute dog!;)
Click to expand...
Thank you very much :) I was typing a response and trying to gather my thoughts and my dog (the bernese mountain dog he's 90 pounds now) blew up next to the computer :banhim:

I am a neat freak about my tanks I do religious water changes and all that good stuff. I wont use sand because of the risk of filter problems (Bichirs stir it up good) And they might eat gravel according to some autopsy results. So I figured I would just have to go bare bottom. I did so slowly as to not remove too much BB ,

Im very pleased with it. Thought I would hate the look. Though I might throw down some tile in the future. :headbang2

Oh and one more :headbang2 for sinned posting an awesome photo.
 
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