What fish are these

[Hayden9261]

Thank you both - I will get some substrate to put the roots in, does this need more regular cleaning then gravel I have hated them since I got given the tank (gravel).

 

[Hayden9261]

Thank you both - I will get some substrate to put the roots in, does this need more regular cleaning then gravel I have hated them since I got given the tank (gravel).

Also will I need to completely remove the fish to do this ( changing gravel to substrate) or will the water remain clear enough

 

[cdelly]

You can change half and then next half later, but you will surprised how much gunk in the gravel and this effects the water quality

personally i would put fish in a holding tank with tank water, if you can

then empty tank, replace substrate and fill back up but use the saved tank water as well

there are many substrates out there as well, from gravel, playsand to soil as well

 

[Byron]

Thank you both - I will get some substrate to put the roots in, does this need more regular cleaning then gravel I have hated them since I got given the tank (gravel).

Substrate is what we term the gravel or sand that provides the base for the aquarium. It is not confined to plant additives. The gravel you have now is the tank's substrate. Depending what fish you keep, plain smooth sand or gravel is adequate for all plants.

Most of us do not do much "cleaning" of the substrate in a tank with plants, though you can vacuum the open (non-planted) areas.

 

[cdelly]

there some good LFS(local fish shop/store) in your area, but they also stock marine and the draw to that side is strong.

Substrates are available in everything from gravel to soil, i have used playsand from argos (run a magnet throught it get bits of metal that may be in there), have dug top soil from front garden and covered with sand.

started with undergravel filter and gravel, was told no plants grow in that system, but surprisingly they did lol