# Substrate for a new tank



## herefishyfishyfishy (Nov 28, 2015)

Do certain fish need certain substrates? Or can you pretty much choose whatever tickles your fancy?


----------



## Chillwill007 (Aug 20, 2010)

Kinda both ways. Certain ground fish like loaches and cories need something soft to soft through where as if you have like all top dwelling fish you could use what ever. But at the same time you have to think about vacuuming to. Bigger rocks and gravel will let more crude fall between them and if not taken care of will crash your tank over time. 

To me that's why a live planted tank is easier then most think. You just lightly vacuum top because the plants will further break down tha gunk into food kinda like fertilizer.


----------



## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

Certain types of fish with barbels--cories, loaches etc, cannot have sharp/rough substrate for their safety. Some fish will prefer different types of substrates. Personal opinion here is that sand stops debris and waste from dropping the to bottom and gathering and offers easy clean up with a syphon or by bottom dwellers.


----------



## herefishyfishyfishy (Nov 28, 2015)

Thank you both! I've heard before that sand was really difficult to deal with. Is that true? I do like the look of sand because I want to decorate so that my tank has the appearance of a saltwater tank. I was going to go with white gravel. Since I'm a beginner, the easier the better right now.


----------



## BBradbury (Apr 22, 2011)

Hello here...

Pea-sized gravel is what I use. It's typically polished so it won't potentially injure fish. Good for planted plants because it allows good water flow to the roots and easy to clean if you want to vacuum the bottom. Very inexpensive compared to other forms of substrate.

B


----------



## henningc (Apr 17, 2013)

Regardless, MTS help keep everything churned up in a pleasent way. They eat excess food and burrow. Just thin the population down once every six months. If you have an invert tank the dried our and rinsed shells serve as a good form of calcium. If you have crayfish the snails are a treat.


----------



## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

I think you'll need to thin the population down more often then 6 months. I have to thin mine down about once every month or two. I think it depends on the situation of your tank.


----------

