Gravel. Why do you need it?
- Thread starter TAL
- Start date
No kidding about the weekly thing.
I just vacuumed my tank for the first time a couple of days ago.
Did it again today and was appalled at the amount of bio-load that was coming up the tube.
GROSS.
Thanks for the reply.
Slowly but surely I am getting a good base of information.
But really.... it seems being a fishkeeper is secondary to being a god bacteriakeeper.
I just vacuumed my tank for the first time a couple of days ago.
Did it again today and was appalled at the amount of bio-load that was coming up the tube.
GROSS.
Thanks for the reply.
Slowly but surely I am getting a good base of information.
But really.... it seems being a fishkeeper is secondary to being a god bacteriakeeper.
Imagine having a bare fish tank (especially a big one.) No gravel and maybe a castle or rock. No live plants and the fake plants' bases look ugly...and there's fish poo and uneaten food at the bottom......
^ That's why fish tanks have gravel.
^ That's why fish tanks have gravel.
Im just trying to understand all the components in the tank and what they do.
I was just appaled at how much [junk] was in my gravel when I vacuumed it.
Imagine having a bare fish tank (especially a big one.) No gravel and maybe a castle or rock. No live plants and the fake plants' bases look ugly...and there's fish poo and uneaten food at the bottom......
^ That's why fish tanks have gravel.
^ That's why fish tanks have gravel.
Actually those dishes turned out to be a bad idea. The plants just waste away and die in them. I think it's due to lack of circulation in the roots..
Like what everyone is saying you don't have to have gravel for a healthy tank. Discus owners and some reef owners keep bare bottomed tanks for the sole purpose of keeping the tank cleaner. Same goes for fry tanks. But it does mean you will either do more water changes or just get used to looking at fish crap.
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You just have to be careful when you vaccuum, but I have small critters in my tanks so I am careful anyway. I use a small gravel vac that you just suck (yuck!) on one end to start the suction.
Here is my dwarf cray tank with a close-up so you can see the thin layer of substrate.
And my 7 gallon. The sand is thicker here because I have rooted plants, but I still can just suck the poop off the sand without disturbing the plants.
Here is my dwarf cray tank with a close-up so you can see the thin layer of substrate.
And my 7 gallon. The sand is thicker here because I have rooted plants, but I still can just suck the poop off the sand without disturbing the plants.
I ran my 40 bare-bottomed for a while for reasons like cleaning ease but after I put a layer of fine gravel in it (light colored, no less) I would never go bare again.
It just looks so much better.
Reef tanks or those that are heavily planted are a different story. But for the average tank where the focus is on the fish, gravel or sand is a definite plus. And as for the poo factor, I have a large syringe with a 1/8 inch tube on it and a stiff wire (stainless) that I use to pick up the large morsels. A weekly vacuuming gets the smaller tidbits.
It just looks so much better.
Reef tanks or those that are heavily planted are a different story. But for the average tank where the focus is on the fish, gravel or sand is a definite plus. And as for the poo factor, I have a large syringe with a 1/8 inch tube on it and a stiff wire (stainless) that I use to pick up the large morsels. A weekly vacuuming gets the smaller tidbits.
Aquarium without gravel
I cleared all gravel out of my tank due to seeing all debris when I syphoned it deceided to take gravel out...........Two reasons It contained a load of debris and secondly there was allways a risk when cleaning at base with magnet I might trap grit and scratch glass........Since having gone without gravel I can see debris and even strange at first a level of Algae will form on base and give some resemblance to a natural base........I think any beneifical advantage of gravel is greatly overated.........But looks good.
I cleared all gravel out of my tank due to seeing all debris when I syphoned it deceided to take gravel out...........Two reasons It contained a load of debris and secondly there was allways a risk when cleaning at base with magnet I might trap grit and scratch glass........Since having gone without gravel I can see debris and even strange at first a level of Algae will form on base and give some resemblance to a natural base........I think any beneifical advantage of gravel is greatly overated.........But looks good.
In one of my books the author writes about a friend who had a very beautiful aquarium with no substrate and no plants, just rocks which were mostly rose quartz. He only turned the light on when he wanted to view it so there was no algae. The author states it was a very stunning arrangement and easy to maintain. (He doesn't say what type of fish added to the stunning appearance)