Question: Bare Bottom Tank Questions

[RobertsKitty]

I have just a few questions for a bare bottom tank set up. First off how do you get plants to stay on teh bottom or do you just let them float? Second if your just letting plants float will bacteria still reside on them? Last question will bacteria be able to form properly on the tank without the substrate? It would only be a short time until I could get the tank cycled properly. Bare bottom would just help me make sure I got ALL the gunk up!

 

[Kerry1968]

I'm probably not the best person to answer this but here goes.....

As far as plants go are you talking about real or artificial plants? I have heard of people who attach silicone pebbles to plants to weigh them down, but as this is a temporary arrangement for you it's probably a lot of effort. I would suggest piling a few pebbles around the base, but that kind of defeats the object of a bare-bottomed tank I think. If I were you, I would just let them float. As far as I'm aware the bacteria will still colonise, as long as they are in the water.
Also the bacteria will cover the base of the tank, it's just the more surface area you have, the more bacteria can colonise. Well, I think that's right, I hope someone else with more experience/knowledge will jump in soon to this thread!

 

[Jennewt]

Floating plants will still have good bacteria on them. You need things in the tank for the bacteria to colonize: filter media, porous pots, ornaments, etc. Substrate would also serve this function, but isn't needed.

 

[blueberlin]

You can also put (live) plants into those tiny flower pots, or even things like that little plastic basket that strawberries come in, weighted down with fine gravel or sand or large rocks (too large for an axolotl mouth), etc.

-Eva