[ryan3rdfeb]

Hello! I'm getting a 5ft tank soon and I can't decide if I should go bare bottom or go with substrate.
I've never went bare bottom before because I don't like the looks of it, but it's definitely easier to maintain since nothing much gets trapped at the bottom.
However I've also used black gravel in a 4ft tank previously and it was a hassle when I wanted to remove it.

My only concern now is, from the point of view of filtration and water quality, is it better to have substrate or bare bottom?
Substrate serves as a filter media itself since bacteria will grow on it like it grows on your ceramic rings, etc. But at the same time it traps dirt. (Taking into account that there's a catfish or stingray that will sift through the substrate)
Bare bottom allows the wave maker to pick up the dirt off the bottom and carry them into the sump, however you're missing a huge volume of filter media as compared to having substrate.

If I'm planning to do the exact same tank maintenance weekly, would a substrate or bare bottom tank give cleaner water?



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