Bare bottom tanks

Lonelyreef · May 8, 2020

Just looking for some inspirations and ideas because I’m planning on doing a bare bottom tank. maybe thing is I’d like to have a carpenter wrasse and they need sand but I don’t just want to have this beautiful reef and then a Tupperware container in the tank holding sand. I have had few ideas to make something that has an exterior look of rock with enough sand for a wrasse.

I’ve heard people say that it’s better to do Avery thin layer of sand everywhere and then a deeper are too.

also would you do plain black or the sand colored pvc in the bottom.

the tank will most likely be a miracles aquarium 48” long 18 wide and 19-20”deep

appreciate anything thoughts

X-37B · May 8, 2020

Here is my 120 bb.
Super easy to keep clean.
Coralline will overgrow the glass.

Just over 10 months old.

andrewkw · May 8, 2020

Flasher wrasses don't sleep in the sand.

PicassoClown04 · May 8, 2020

My tank is 100% bare bottom and it’s a joy to clean compared to a sandy bottom. Simple hose siphons out the detritus that collects in one corner of the tank and it’s much better for me because of the peninsula style that makes it super difficult to clean sometimes. Only have a fire shrimp, pair of clowns, and a sexy shrimp right now so nothing that needs sand to be happy but I have heard of people creating a barrier around a sand box type of thing. They put live rock pebbles with zoanthids on them in a square and let them form a perimeter then filled the box with sand. Dunno how well this works and I’ve never tried it, but I’d have to be in a super low flow area and you’d have to find a large empty area in your tank for this to work. Could be really pretty if you make a zoa garden out of it with the sand pit in the middle of you get it to work though. I think having a shallow dish (petri dish type of container maybe? Then allowing zoas to grow on the sides of it and around it. It’d probably be way better at holding the sand than random pebbles cemented together via zoanthid

Kremis · May 8, 2020

If the only wrasse your going to get is a carpenters then you dont need sand, flashers sleep in the rocks as said above

Lonelyreef · May 8, 2020

Thank you all for the replies Ideally I’d get a flasher but there’s a fish or two that may need sand I’d like. I thought of like a giant empty clam shell or 3-d printed one or something. Just so I can have a spot with sand.

does everyone seem to like black bottom over the sand colored pvc

X-37B · May 9, 2020

Not sure why people paint bottom or back.
Here is another pick of my bottom. I like purple some dont lol.
Clam shell with sand is a great idea! May have to look into that one.
Was going to put some sand in the back for my coris wrasse but it found the only opening in my cover some how and went surfing, bummer.