# Substrate?



## Adam Aquaponic (Nov 18, 2010)

hey all

is it that important to have substrate?

thanks


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

Depends on the type of fish. Some do better with a substrate some do better without. For those that do better without it is usually a matter of tank cleanliness. Fish like cories and other sand sifters prefer a sand bottom. Fish that di such as most cichlids prefer to have a bottom to dig.


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## Will (Jul 24, 2008)

If you don't have substrate and use bottomless stands (such as metal tube stands) its a good idea to paint or put something on the bottom so the fish better understand which way is up.


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## Adam Aquaponic (Nov 18, 2010)

Will Hayward said:


> If you don't have substrate and use bottomless stands (such as metal tube stands) its a good idea to paint or put something on the bottom so the fish better understand which way is up.


haha thats funny


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Adam Aquaponic said:


> hey all
> 
> is it that important to have substrate?
> 
> thanks


Why wouldn't you? Having a substrate makes the tank better looking, and provides a bed for beneficial bacterial growth.


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## Adam Aquaponic (Nov 18, 2010)

well.. because i will using the fish tank for aquaponic purposes, I want to filter as much fish poop as possible into my growbeds.. it will be a waste for it and broken down food to get caught in the substrate.. and that also builds ammonia in the tank, right?

i guess i could always put down a thin layer and get more corys in there.. but they dont eat fish poop right?


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Adam Aquaponic said:


> well.. because i will using the fish tank for aquaponic purposes, I want to filter as much fish poop as possible into my growbeds.. it will be a waste for it and broken down food to get caught in the substrate.. and that also builds ammonia in the tank, right?
> 
> i guess i could always put down a thin layer and get more corys in there.. but they dont eat fish poop right?


is your growbed part of the filtration loop of your tank? If so, your growbed will act as a biological filter as well. Having a substrate will simply hide all the detritus, and your plants will receive all the nutrients that get released into the water.


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## Adam Aquaponic (Nov 18, 2010)

well yah, thats the point of aquaponics.. the grow bed is gonna sit right on top of the tank and filter the water for the fish and provide nutrients for the plants.. 

i was just concerned for the substrate slowing the amount of poop getting into the filter do to settling..


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## solarz (Aug 31, 2010)

Adam Aquaponic said:


> well yah, thats the point of aquaponics.. the grow bed is gonna sit right on top of the tank and filter the water for the fish and provide nutrients for the plants..
> 
> i was just concerned for the substrate slowing the amount of poop getting into the filter do to settling..


well the thing is, detritus will always settle on the bottom of the tank regardless of whether you have a substrate or not. Bare-bottom tanks are often littered with fish waste, and not, as you might expect, all sucked into the filter and trapped in the media. Having a substrate hides that unsightliness.


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## Adam Aquaponic (Nov 18, 2010)

good points.. thanks bud.. i'll probably throw down a light layer of larger pebbles


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## dl88dl (Mar 8, 2010)

You can add a powerhead to give it more flow and most of the fish poop should end up in the aquaponic.


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## Adam Aquaponic (Nov 18, 2010)

whats a powerhead? is it for the pump?


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## carbonlist (Nov 8, 2009)

you should try a reversed undergravel filter. It doesn't clog up with debris and pushes all waste upwards to be filtered up.


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## KhuliLoachFan (Mar 8, 2008)

Personally I don't care for "bare bottom tanks". The reasons people often keep them are:

1. for fry tanks, bare bottom is always preferred.
2. for very sensitive species like Discus.
3. for very large fish, or very messy eaters, such as oscars.

I would say, if you love your fish, and your fish is a pet, and you aren't looking for maximum 'decor' value, then a substrate-less tank combined with careful and frequent vacuuming of detritus from the bottom of the tank will keep your fish happier than any substrate.

However, substrates also do more than look good. They are where the cleanup crew (if you have one) operates. A cory in a tank with no substrate would be a miserable creature indeed. My substrates are all full of malaysian trumpet snails, which keeps the substrate healthy.

Another important part of the substrate thing is that some fish absolutely LOVE sand substrates. My malawi mbuna (yellow labs etc) just love to move around the sand. A cichlid without sand, is a sad little creature indeed. And many of my loaches strongly prefer a sand substrate. My weather loaches in particular will eat (sift) through sand, spitting the sand out their gills as they forage through the substrate for yummy micro-fauna.

W


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## Adam Aquaponic (Nov 18, 2010)

thanks for that! very informative..


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