Grounding?

[Plonk]

Ok I want to know what is best to put on the bottom of the tank. I know that small gravel is a no no. Which grounding is easiest to clean? I have seen a pic of someones pond somewhere in the forum and they have coloured round glass like rocks, can they be used? I have seen the trouble that some people have had from using sand (getting the water clear).
I have a 4ft tank and plan to get it all up and running within 3 weeks. I will be greatful of all the advice that you can give me.

 

[kclinton]

If you rinse the sand really well first it wont be cloudy. When axies get big they can eat those glass rocks mine almost dis pluse poo and left over food gets traped under them hard to clean. I think sand is best.

 

[Abrahm]

Your best bet for a bottom covering for the aquarium, known as a substrate, is to either use sand, a bare bottom or a permanent bottom. Sand is small enough to easily pass through the animal. If the sand is well rinsed then any visibility problems should clear up rather quickly. I recommend pool/spa filter sand for this because it tends to have less dust, is inactive quartz and is more consistent in size.

A bare bottom is when you have nothing at all to cover the bottom. This is the easiest to clean and works quite well but a lot of people hate the look.

A permanent substrate can be seen here and while these can take some time and money to make they also work well.

 

[ianclick]

Hi Plonk,

Just not gravel that is small enough to ingest.

I have slate, large river pebbles and bare tank. I have had gravel and sand but the lastest combination is aesthetic and practical.

Good luck