# Do i need gravel in my 40 gal tank



## bassdawg (Sep 8, 2014)

So I would like to know I have fake plants I plan on putting them in jars with gravel to hold them down . Is there a disadvantage with no gravel ?
Thanks for your time .One more question I would like to use sand but I have to put my fish in the tank same day so how would I do it ? will it float an make a mess ?


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## susankat (Nov 15, 2008)

Bare bottom tanks are dependent on the fish that you keep. Bottom dwellers like cories and plecos its best to have at least a small dusting of sand unless you can keep the bottom crystal clean as the bare glass can harbor some bad bacteria that can cause infections on bottom dwellers.

Best way to change to sand is to completely remove everything including water, put sand in and slowly fill. Not much will float and if you use pool filter sand there will be very little cloudiness.


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

Some sand needs to be washed before using it. I got some pool filter sand thinking I would not need to wash it. I was wrong! Basically you carefully fill a bucket of sand with water, move the sand a bit, then tip the bucket to drain the brown silty water. Several rinses gets rid of just about all the silt. Put your sand on the bottom of the aquarium where you want it. Place refrigerator wrap over the wet sand. Put a big dinner plate, or smaller (depends on the tank size), onto the plate, very slowly pour water. When your tank is full, remove the plate. Gently remove the refrigerator wrap. There should be minimal silt in the water. If there is any, the filter, and waiting several hours like over night will take care of the silt. 

Pool filter sand is good. Youbuy it at a pool and hot tub store. I bought Quick crete brand, and it has a lot of silt. It was about 50 pounds for 15 dollars. Other people are using a nice white sand that they say is pool filter sand, but I can't find it in my area. Playground sand is supposedly awful to work with. There also is sand made for fish tanks that is more expensive. 

In my tank, I have a mixture of sand, natural well rounded gravel and large river stone so the bottom looks more like a river because my fish come from rivers not the ocean.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

I like bare bottom(BB) tanks.All my breeding,fry/fry growout,even only a light sub in my 120g saltwater fowlr.
I like the mixed media as K mentioned above.I have sandand gravel of several sizes and colors(mostly brown/biege,and black) to give the most natural appearance.
I have actually kept live plants in pots with "plant substrate" while keeping tank BB for many of breeding attempts with my discus(still a headache!).
You'll keep as good waterquality with any sub as BB.
But you'll never have a natural looking tank BB,you can get close with plants and wood though.
Blasting sand is great also!I'll link you to Troys thread;
http://www.aquariumforum.com/f2/cheap-black-sand-comparison-spectraquartz-ceramaquartz-41856.html


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## kalyke (Nov 19, 2014)

Can you do the sand bit in the morning, float or drip the fish in a bucket for about 4 to 8 hours, enough time for the silt to settle? 

Truth be told, I did add my sand, after washing, while I had fish in my tank. I would not do it again. I felt they did not like it although most of my stock is wild caught in rivers that may be polluted. Still...There are lots of buckets, pots, bowls and jars out there. Put on a air compressor and air stone. I haven't been in the hobby long and I have a small collection of pumps, air hoses and spare small filters for little hospital or quarnteen tanks. A 10 gallon tank is 13 to 14 dollars, a cheap filter with media is 10 to 12 dollars. Personally, I will be keeping a plant tank to propogate shrimp and plants and to keep a friendly filter available for new fish. 

Awesome filters can be made using bio media and a simple fountain submersible pump. Although I have no right to encourage at this point, being a newbie, I encourage you to be prepared like the old boy scout saying goes. 

I do not know where your fish are coming from. If all the same shop, they are often on the same RO water system, but what happens when you want to order some fish from an online shop? You need a segregated 10 or 20 gallon tank cycled and ready for fish. So far I have gotten all my fish from the same shop. I do want some true siamese algea eaters and a whip tailed cat and some big bamboo shrimp that I can't get here in town. Bu keeping a small tank up and running, I have a place to put any new thing I bring home.

Just a thought...


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