Which is the best aquarium substrate for your tank?
- Sep 17, 2020
- Anshika Mishra
- 632 0 0
So, you are doing all your research in starting your first aquarium and you have come to a point where it is the time to decide; what you are going to put at the bottom of your aquarium to make it look a little better? It's time to select a substrate.
Here you will be reading the ins and outs of aquarium substrate and hopefully, you can make your decision on which one you are put in your tank.
The substrate is the stuff that you put on the floor of your aquarium. Choosing a substrate might sound like a simple decision, get whatever looks best. But there is a lot more to it than that because different materials have a different effect on the water.
TYPES OF SUBSTRATE
Let's start with the simplest of all substrate and that is no substrate at all!
BARE BOTTOM
You might be thinking of an aquarium with no substrate at all would be the easiest to take care of and you'd be right; kind of. It is easier to take care of because you don't have to vacuum it out when you are doing maintenance. There is a couple of downsides to the bare bottom tank.
Algae
Algae is going to grow in your tank at some point in time. Even the most meticulous fish keeper is going to get algae from time to time, some would even say that it is a sign of a healthy aquarium. You's be surprised how well a substrate will cover up algae at the bottom of the tank and that's a good thing because it looks pretty bad.
FISH POOP
Yes! your fish is gonna poop and it is gonna fo somewhere, it doesn't always make to the filter. Substrate does a great job of letting the poop in between it and gets lost out of sight. This is why you see people vacuum out their substrate and all that nasty brown stuff comes up through the tube.
WHY PEOPLE KEEP BARE BOTTOM
So, if it is such a hassle why would people not have substrate at all. Well, it is a preference thing a lot of time when you see a bare bottom tank with the people who have a bunch of tanks like a fish farm and it would just cause a fortune to put in all of them.
Others will just have a bare bottom tank to give it that contemporary look.
GRAVEL
Gravel is without a doubt the most common aquarium substrate in the hobby. It is easy t find easy to maintain, pretty cheap and it looks really good. When thinking about gravel a lot of people, automatically think about some neon blue or bright pink color gravel; but it does not have to be that way.
Variety of colors and sizes
Gravel comes in a bunch of different colors and sizes. From the natural larger color that looks river rocks to the smaller gravel chips that might not look very natural but look nonetheless. Gravel is great for countering the issues like algae accumulating at the bottom or fish poop settling down the bottom. But there is something else that it is good at, which is providing surface area for the growth of beneficial bacteria.
Helps in beneficial bacteria growth
Yes, some bacterias grow in your aquarium that helps in maintaining a healthy environment for your fish. This bacteria grows on surfaces so, the more surface area you have in your aquarium the more opportunity there is for the growth of this bacteria. The tiny edges, nooks, and crannies that gravel has these all prime areas for beneficial bacteria to grow.
The perfect substrate, Righ?
So, gravel looks good it is great for hiding things like algae and fish poop. It is great for growing beneficial bacteria, it is the perfect substrate, Right?
SAND
This is just as good as gravel if not better and it is the sand substrate. Sand is the substrate that fishkeepers either love or hate. There is no doubt that it is the most natural-looking substrate, but it has got its pros and cons.
Pros
- Sand is the most natural-looking substrate if nature is your thing then this is the one that you want to go for.
- Sand is also an amazing Bio media because it has all that surface area; so it is even better than gravel in this regard.
- There are several different types of sand like crush coral that will help your water to buffer along with raising your pH. There is also some super cheap sand that you can buy.
- Pool filter sand is the most commonly used sand in the aquarium hobby, this is the sand that is made to put in a filter that will filter your pool, but using it in an aquarium will make the tank look natural and it is very cheap.
Cons
- Some sand has very fine granules, they can get blown out in your tank. This is not a big deal unless it gets blown into the intake of your filter. If it gets in the impeller of your filter it can ruin it.
- Sand can be a little tricky to maintain because it is so fine and can easily get sucked up in your siphoned holes while you are doing water changes.
So, sand is not perfect but it is close, you can get a super natural look and in most cases super cheap.
PLANTED TANK
There is quite a few specialty planted tank substrate available today. These are not really for the new fish keeper, so it is not a very good idea to put it in your first tank.
Planted tank substrate
The planted tank has exploded in popularity in the last few years. When you set up a planted aquarium you have the opportunity to make an incredible little aquascape and mimic nature in almost any way you want. This rise in popularity there are tons of manufacturers making specialty products that are specifically for maintaining healthy plants and it starts with the substrate.
What is in this substrate?
These substrates are dirt and are packed with all kind of nutrient and minerals that helps the aquascape look natural and also helps the plants to thrive. But just like sand, these types of substrates come with challenges.
Challenges
They can be difficult at the beginning if you are not careful filling it up and they can be tricky to maintain cause the material is so light. But again it is the most natural look that you can get.
DIRTED TANK
This is something really for the advanced fish keeper that is a little crazy. People do get dirt from their backyard and put it in their tank.
But it is not something new fishkeepers should ever try!!
WHAT SHOULD I GET?
When it comes the time to make your decision on what substrate to get and you are a beginner then the decision should be pretty easy.
You should want a substrate that looks nice while also being very easy to install and maintain. Gravel and pool filter sands are super easy to install because you are going to rinse them off and dump them in but when you are wanting to install some of the specialty sand or planted tank substrate, it's a whole different story.
What is easy to install?
These substrates have a whole bunch of different things that you should not wash off, if you do it pretty much defeats the purpose. With these types of substrate, you don't rinse, you just put them in and very carefully fill the tank up.
Most people will lay paper towels or paper plates down and slowly triple the water in. You got to be patient with this if you don't, your tank is going to look like one huge mud puddle.
What is easy to maintain?
so, when it comes to ease of installation, gravel and pool filter tank will be the easiest by far. But that is not the only factor here. You also want your substrate to be easy to maintain and when it comes to maintaining none of them are easier than your standard aquarium gravel.
MOMENT OF TRUTH
You want your substrate to be easy to install, you want it to look good and easy to maintain; what checks all of those boxes? GRAVEL
So, for your first aquarium go out and get some aquarium gravel, make your life easier. It can be the large or the small gravel both of them will be just as easy. It is not that the new fishkeeper will find it impossible to use these other substrates, but to keep things as simple as possible you should get gravel.
Just know that no rule book says that you have to use a certain substrate unless you want to set up some advanced planted tank or you are trying to breed a certain type of fish. Just get the one which is easy for you.
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