Gravel, sand or bare bottom?
- Thread starter McTackett
- Start date
Hi all,
I had a mixture of sand and fine gravel, just poured it in and the current will then sort it into sand and gravel areas. Where the current was strongest it cleared the gravel down to the aquarium base, and I put a couple of cobbles there. I then turned the filter back on, threw in some dead leaves, and where they ended up (place of lowest flow) I put a flat slate. There is more here: <"Several questions...">.
I syphon any waste from the slate, but I don't syphon the sand etc. You don't need a thick layer of sand, just a couple of centimeters.
I like lots of caves, and the fish will use the ones they like. I found that the females didn't cave, but they would create a scrape in the sand under a cobble or some bog-wood.
To stop the sand getting into the filter I have a big pre-filter sponge on the filter
cheers Darrel
I don't think the fish are much bothered, but I'm not a great fan of bare bottom tanks, mainly because you need to be really OCD about cleaning them.Hey everyone,
Was wondering what people put on the bottom of their L333 tanks? :dk: Gravel, sand, nothing or a mix and is there a particular reason for the way you do it?
Cheers
I had a mixture of sand and fine gravel, just poured it in and the current will then sort it into sand and gravel areas. Where the current was strongest it cleared the gravel down to the aquarium base, and I put a couple of cobbles there. I then turned the filter back on, threw in some dead leaves, and where they ended up (place of lowest flow) I put a flat slate. There is more here: <"Several questions...">.
I syphon any waste from the slate, but I don't syphon the sand etc. You don't need a thick layer of sand, just a couple of centimeters.
I like lots of caves, and the fish will use the ones they like. I found that the females didn't cave, but they would create a scrape in the sand under a cobble or some bog-wood.
To stop the sand getting into the filter I have a big pre-filter sponge on the filter
cheers Darrel
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I had under gravel filters and the whole planted thing. The plants died as with multiple tanks I couldn't afford to run lights on each one all the time.
I inherited trumpet snails during a fish purchase and they took over the tanks.
I thought I only had a few just looking at the tank glass but my fish were getting skinny even though they were well fed.
I returned at 3am one night and looked in the tank and there was an inch high pile of snails on every wafer.
If I wormed the tanks, snails would die and make a heck of an ammonia build up where I lost a few fish.
I scrapped all the gravel and got some quality canister filters. Also an air sponge filter every foot of tank and a power head and pickup internal filter.
Seems a lot of filters but if the canister gets clogged or say an impeller cracks which sometimes happens, the sponge filters and pickup filter carry the load a little until I realise what's happened to the canister.
Without gravel I no longer find scratches on my pleco bellies and they love gliding on the glass bottom. They also get all of the food direct off the glass without snuffling around in gravel for it.
I inherited trumpet snails during a fish purchase and they took over the tanks.
I thought I only had a few just looking at the tank glass but my fish were getting skinny even though they were well fed.
I returned at 3am one night and looked in the tank and there was an inch high pile of snails on every wafer.
If I wormed the tanks, snails would die and make a heck of an ammonia build up where I lost a few fish.
I scrapped all the gravel and got some quality canister filters. Also an air sponge filter every foot of tank and a power head and pickup internal filter.
Seems a lot of filters but if the canister gets clogged or say an impeller cracks which sometimes happens, the sponge filters and pickup filter carry the load a little until I realise what's happened to the canister.
Without gravel I no longer find scratches on my pleco bellies and they love gliding on the glass bottom. They also get all of the food direct off the glass without snuffling around in gravel for it.
I have a snail infestation in my BN tank, been pulling them out and doing wc. Seems to keep them down but they build up again very quick. I tried putting a clown loch in the tank and he did very well, although once he was bigger he found the baby BN tastier then the snails so he got tufted to another tank.
I think Ill start with the wood and go from there see how the parameters go etc, the fish won't be going in for awhile so got plenty of time to play around, just thought I'd get in early.
Thanks for the replies. Very helpful
I think Ill start with the wood and go from there see how the parameters go etc, the fish won't be going in for awhile so got plenty of time to play around, just thought I'd get in early.
Thanks for the replies. Very helpful