# Naked on the Floor???



## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

Now that I have your attention... 

Does anyone go _without _substrate entirely?

For whatever reason, my husband, who kept various salt & freshwater aquariums for years, is not a fan of sand as a substrate. I know it's natural, and almost everyone on this forum seems to love it, but for whatever twisted reason, I don't like the look. On the other hand, I'm not really a fan of gravel, either...

...although my mbuna really, really, do seem to like to move that gravel endlessly...

Right now, I have the back of my 75 gallon painted black. My gravel is black. I love that darker look, personally. I also use a few pieces of broken black granite tile as visual barriers, and it doesn't show, and does the job.

I'm thinking of removing the gravel entirely and using black granite tile on the _bottom _of the tank, I'll just cut it to size. (Maybe I'll leave a stack of the existing black gravel in the corner for them to move around/play with.) I think this would be super-easy to keep clean, and I think I could make it look really cool. What might be even better is an aquarium background made for the _bottom _of the tank, but I haven't seen such a thing.

Other than perhaps causing a mini cycle in my tank (by removing gravel) is there any downside to _no _substrate? Does anyone do this already?

I welcome your thoughts... Thanks!


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## The Cichlid Guy (Oct 18, 2014)

I don't see why it couldn't work. Do you plan to seal the granite to the bottom? If not, I imagine waste would eventually build up underneath it, requiring you to remove all of your decorations to clean under it. Some fish stores run bare-bottoms for ease of maintenance, and we know that fish can survive in a quarantine tank with no substrate, so I think it's possible. The only downsides I see are the same reasons I choose sand over gravel: fish (especially cichlids) use it in their natural behavior.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Bare bottom tanks work great for the fishkeeper. You would want a perfect seal if you used anything other than the bottom glass.


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## BDASTRK (Dec 12, 2014)

about 10 yrs ago I had a 135 that I built (Acrylic) I had a piece of Slate cut for the bottom and the Back wall, was only 1/4" thick but it worked well.................My big complaint was scrubbing the Algae.................it drove me nuts. I used Silicone to adhere them to the Acrylic which shockingly held up well. I got tired of the scrubbing so I removed it from the Wall and built a 150 to put in its place.


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## hisplaceresort1 (Mar 10, 2014)

Thanks for the responses!

Cichlid Guy & DJRansome - I hadn't considered whether to seal or not - probably not. Because I'm quite OCD about cleaning the tank, I take nearly everything out every week now anyway, which is necessary to properly clean the gravel I currently have. If I only had to do it once a month or so, it would be a huge time saver. 
BDASTRK - There is no algae in my tank. The catfish take care of that...  And I was at Home Depot tonight looking at this lovely piece of slate, wondering if it could be used in aquariums... apparently so! Something to think about... Thanks again, guys!

All - just to be clear - if I occasionally lift it and clean under the pieces, do you still feel that sealing is really important?

Thanks again for your opinions.


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## BDASTRK (Dec 12, 2014)

If it becomes part of your maint...............no different the Gravel vacuuming.................If not sealed it will be a problem if not regularly removed and cleaned underneath.


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## Rare7 (Dec 31, 2014)

The Cichlid Guy said:


> The only downsides I see are the same reasons I choose sand over gravel: fish (especially cichlids) use it in their natural behavior.


Nothing more than i like then watching them shifting through the sand and watching one by the name of marshmallow digging like no other. As much as the other guys is trying to keep a algae free aquarium....im trying encourage the growth in my aquarium. I even set outside a small aquarium to grow some in the natural light which will make its way in the aquarium when done.


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## Iggy Newcastle (May 15, 2012)

I don't have substrate in any tank that has fry or fish growing out. Easy to vac anything the HOBs or sponge filters don't accumulate.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I'd remove/clean it weekly if you don't seal it. It will trap debris underneath and there will be no water flow to flush debris out.


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## Mr Chromedome (Feb 12, 2013)

I keep a variety of fishes in about 50 tanks, and almost all of my tanks are painted on the outside bottom. Bare bottom makes it easy to clean, but a clear bottom confuses and stresses fish when they can't swim down through it. So, I use a moderately dark green color sold as Hunter Green, and the fish seem to like it. I would imagine black or a neutral brown would work as well.


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