# Waves in the substrate



## monisaab (Jan 12, 2011)

Pardon me if I sound stupid but quite a few tanks that I have seen on the forum have kind of a wavy substrate layer.

How do I get that effect? Do I put something under the substrate?


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## krfhsf (Dec 25, 2008)

Sand and power heads will create some substate waves. :thumb:


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## monisaab (Jan 12, 2011)

Thanks krfhsf but if you have a look at the Tank pictures under Your tanks the tank floors look as if they have an uneven base... like there is something under the snd/gravel at certain places that has slightly lifted it up at places.[/img]

I want to know how can I do that?


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## Guest (Feb 25, 2011)

gravel vaccuming does that with gravel.. and my botias make huge hills in the sand of my one tank so much so i think im getting rid of them... they dig under everything


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## monisaab (Jan 12, 2011)

Thanks m1ke715m for the reply but the fish digging will change the upper level of the sand not the bottom. I am referring to the bottom level.

May be I am not being able to convey what I am referring to. Please look at the tank pictures under the Your Tanks link and see the tank bottoms... their underside is in the form of waves.


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## Guest (Feb 25, 2011)

my botias dig basically all the way down to the glass in some spots... here look.










im not exactly sure what you the bottom level... if you take sand or gravel from one spot and put it on the other if you go down far enough then you have waves

some people might have eggcrate under the sand too as it lessens the chance of falling rocks breaking the glass


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## monisaab (Jan 12, 2011)

I know I am not being able to convey properly what i am asking. Apologies for that.

I mean there seems to be a distance between the tank bottom and the sand at some places only. At some places the sand seems to be on the tank bottom but at others it looks as if it is on some kind of a carpet that has some curls and lifted-off the floor at a few places thereby creating a wavy effect at the bottom.


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## Guest (Feb 25, 2011)

which tank in particular? cuz i dont see what you are describing.. i understand what your saying.. jus dont see it...it might just be some shadows caused from the flash


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## monisaab (Jan 12, 2011)

I have tried to highlight the areas that i am referring to in RED.


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## Guest (Feb 25, 2011)

probly just shadows unless he put a rock under... but i think its just shadows


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## AZcichlidfreak (Nov 16, 2010)

m1ke715m said:


> probly just shadows unless he put a rock under... but i think its just shadows


Yes those are just shadows from the lights thru the substrate. If you simply make your substrate deeper in places along your front glass you should get that same look. :thumb:


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## lelandgray (Jan 19, 2011)

Yeah, just make the substrate deeper in some areas to get that effect. When I first put my sand in, it was fairly uniform in coverage.. but when I put turned my UGJ's on, the sand ended up getting blown around and created little hills here and there.


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## RRasco (Aug 31, 2006)

Light only penetrates the substrate so far. If the sand is higher in one place, the bottom 'wave' will match it b/c its just light penetration. Notice how the waves you were describing follow the curve of the sand *exactly*...?


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## monisaab (Jan 12, 2011)

Thanks for the help friends. Appreciate it.


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## DrgRcr (Jun 23, 2009)

If you get mbuna, they will do that for you!


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## monisaab (Jan 12, 2011)

LOL yu are right DrgRcr.

Thanks everyone.


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## Cromak (Dec 29, 2010)

All done by Circulation Pumps in my tank


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## monisaab (Jan 12, 2011)

Thanks Cromak.

The tank looks wonderful...


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