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is this ok if not a little boring just to have a glass bottom would it be ok or do i need some sort of gravel on the bottom(for the fishes sake)i allready have some but thinking about getting rid of it or changing to sand.

Hi,
You can have a tank with nothing on the bottom. If you do
that, I suggest two things.

One, place something black under the tank, it will keep
the fish calmer as they won't be seeing the reflections
of themselves or others.

Second, use a "Bio Wheel" filter or a quality canister
filter. Much of the bacteria that runs the Nitrogen Cycle
lives in the gravel. Without the gravel to house the
huge colonies of bacteria, your tank will not be able to
house the number of fish you would expect, and cycling
the tank would be interesting to say the least.


Frank :
PS. Hospital tanks are traditionally bare bottomed.



-->>> The Confidence of Amateurs, is the Envy of Professionals <<<--

Yes, it's Ok to have a bare bottom tank. Alot of people keep their hospital tanks bare bottom &amp; i also saw Angel fish breeders keeping the tanks bare bottom, so they are easier to clean when the fry are born.


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just got my gravel out . will be getting some sand tommorrow. just thinking what fish should i stay away from incase sand harms them . ie bottom feeders and the such.

cheers all

Be careful now that you've taken the gravel out.
Even if you're running biowheel filters you're likely to have a minicyle from the loss of the biofilter present in the gravel.
Be sure you wash the sand very carefully and leave the fiters either off, or running on a seperate tank or bucket until the water clears. Additionally you'll want to cover the intake to prevent filter damage.
I hope you've read up on the requirements and special needs of sand .


^_^
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It only hurts when I breathe"