how thick should substrate be ?
- Thread starter onepawnup
- Start date
Depends if it's going to be a planted tank or not. If not, just enough to cover the bottom glass is sufficient.
Depending on the fish, you may not even need any. I pretty much bare bottom it for my bubbles and it is much easier to keep clean and keeps more water in the tank. Just remember, the more sub, the less room for clear water and the more debri you will have to clean out of it...
Persimmon said:
I always thought that the gravel was an important part of keeping a well balanced tank. Is this not true? If you have no gravel, do you rely on the bacteria in the filter?
It may depend on the type of fish you have, and yes, good bacteria does grow in the sub, but so can a lot of gunk. If one is a new fish owner and not used to what is good for a tank, it is very easy to add too much and end up with yucky soupy rock, which can kill the fish.
And for goldies, no, I have plenty of bio media in my filters for the bacteria to grow..they are dirty creatures and I love not having a lot of stuff to constantly suck up.
And for goldies, no, I have plenty of bio media in my filters for the bacteria to grow..they are dirty creatures and I love not having a lot of stuff to constantly suck up.
Gravel is an important piece of keeping a well balanced tank if you are using an undergravel filter, for that would be the biological area of the filter.
For all other kinds of filters, the more the gravel, the harder to keep down the nitrates due to wastes collecting in the gravel. As it rots, nitrate is produced.
Keep just enough to cover the bottom and keep any plastic plants from floating away. Minimum as possible.
For all other kinds of filters, the more the gravel, the harder to keep down the nitrates due to wastes collecting in the gravel. As it rots, nitrate is produced.
Keep just enough to cover the bottom and keep any plastic plants from floating away. Minimum as possible.
Agree with many of the above concepts - other than UG/RFUG filtration and planted tanks, my substrate is minimal, just enogh to cover the glass and to kill reflections from the base glass. Nitrification bacteria in my FO tanks other than RFUG are >90% in the filters (yes, I have tested). Substrate in FO tanks is an aesthetic and "natural" choice to help the critters feel more at home.
Planted substrates are scaled roughly to the tank height, starting at 1 1/2-2" for 1 foot high tanks and scaling up from there.
Planted substrates are scaled roughly to the tank height, starting at 1 1/2-2" for 1 foot high tanks and scaling up from there.