What is a Good Bottom Material for my Tank?

[10 Tanks]

Hello TFF. Here's another subject that's important when setting up a new aquarium. A combination of bottom material or substrate can make a big difference in the health of your fish and plants. I recently set up a 55 gallon tank and started with a layer of Eco Complete and topped that with small, black, polished pebbles from Exotic Pebbles. The Eco Complete has been good for the plants and is a long term fertilizer. The pebbles are large enough so water easily moves through them and makes vacuuming easy.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

 

[Lateral Line]

I think if I was going to build new tanks now, I'd go for what I used in the last couple of tanks I set up in England, this was swimming pool filter sand. It is, obviously, finer than regular gravel, but a little coarser than building sand, or the stuff you can get from most beaches. It does not pack down hard, as can happen with fine sand, so roots grow easily through it. I painted a VERY small amount of laterite slurry onto the base of the tank before topping with 3cm, (ish - I wasn't measuring!), before putting the sand in. Echinodorus and Cryptocorynes were the best I'd ever had after a couple of months on that stuff.

 

[Magnum Man]

I've bought several this year, resetting up tanks ( after about a 20 year break )... all the old gravel went out to the yard...

this is my favorite so far... the last 2 tanks I set up have this in it...

Amazon.com

it's listed as New Zealand river gravel... but it's more of a rounded granule, coarse sand... it comes in a darker shade, and the color of the one linked... so far I have an aquarium I'm switching over so I have this in half of the tank & the Cory's seem to like it... time will tell if it's OK for them... there are 6 Cory’s in the tank I’m switching over

 

[Lateral Line]

That stuff sounds very similar to the filter sand I used, coarser, rounder "stones", but it was not dark, regular sand coloured. Cheap, I got mine from a pool suppliers in Aldershot, but I expect you can get it anywhere.

 

[Essjay]

you should use under water fishing light for clear structure.

This is not a good idea as fish do not 'expect' light to come from anywhere except above them, and light coming from the 'wrong' direction causes stress.

 

[sharkweek178]

Hello TFF. Here's another subject that's important when setting up a new aquarium. A combination of bottom material or substrate can make a big difference in the health of your fish and plants. I recently set up a 55 gallon tank and started with a layer of Eco Complete and topped that with small, black, polished pebbles from Exotic Pebbles. The Eco Complete has been good for the plants and is a long term fertilizer. The pebbles are large enough so water easily moves through them and makes vacuuming easy.

10 Tanks (Now 11)

The answer to this question depends on the kind of fish you are keeping. If I'm planning for bottom feeders or fish that like to dig in the substrate, then I'll want a soft sand substrate.