substrate? to be or not to be

[nath]

hey all,

just like to ask if it is a good idea to use a sand substrate or just leave the tank bare?

i can put plants in pots, but subsrate is also a home for good bacteria (handy for when you clean you filter), how are you suposed to clean sand? ( gravel vac? )

cheers
nath

[Ben]

I personally recommend a "bare bottom" tank.
Easier to keep clean and suck up any left over food.

In saying that though, a tank with substrate does look better...

using a gravel vac will suck up most debris in the substrate, but i would recommend doing this at least once per week.




Ben

[DR.V]

Bare bottom tank with plants in pots looks nice

It is easier to keep clean and good for breeding

But if you want a proper planted tank , using substrate will also look good.

You will need to vac them weekly and also have some bottom feeder fish like corys or bristlenose.

[sammigold]

I have the barest layer of gravel about 1cm (if that) to give the look of substrate. most of my plants are kept in their little pots or planted in jars except my java fern which just went into the gravel and has stayed there (yay!) We give it a quick gravel clean and have 2 bristlenose and 2 loaches... it seems to be working at the moment. :D

[blackwater spa]

I believe the answer depends on what you want to do with your discus and discus tanks.

My plans include one large planted tank for displaying some fully grown adult discus in a fabulous Amano-like aquascape. This tank will of necessity require a rich substrate...I'm planning on Seachem Flourite Red, maybe with an underlay of peat.

However, such a tank is not ideal for growing juvenile discus. Planted tanks do not tolerate too frequent water changes. Some people think that the plants can also release a fish growth inhibitor chemical, which would prevent any juvenile discus from reaching their full potential. Planted tanks also require high intensity lighting, and high intensity lighting can bring out the peppering in pigeon-blood based discus.

I plan on setting up a number of bare-bottom grow-out tanks for the juvenile discus. The juvenile discus will be fed very frequently to help them grow big and strong quickly, and therefore the tanks will need frequent water changes to remove any uneaten food. Bare-bottom tanks are much easier to keep clean with frequent water changes than are tanks with covered with substrate.

So I'll be using substrate for my planted display tank but I'll be leaving my grow-out tanks bare-bottom.

[nath]

thanks for the replies :) looks like ill go a bare bottom with planted pots

cheers
nath

[mcloughlin2]

The only problem with sand is that wen u siphon the gravel most of it will be sucked up as well.....

Instead of plants in pots u could have plants on driftwood... :D

[nath]

good idea, that always looks good :)

cheers nath

[tara]

I have not had my discus long and I was just wondering if people can give me opinions on vaccuming the gravel substrate, how often is the best ? is once a week enough?

[Merrilyn]

Hi Tara, I'd have to say once a week would be a bare minimum. Two or three times a week is much better.

Or, if you love feeding your fish, like I do, then a gravel vac every two days is a must. :oops:

Hope that helps.

[tara]

Thanks for that Merrilyn, I was just making sure that I wasn't doing it too much. I have accually been vaccuming the gravel everytime I do I water change, which is every second day. There definetly is alot of mess to be suck up. LOL