bare bottom?

[3dees]

I am setting up a 120 gal. fowlr. what are the cons of a bb other than looks. I was thinking of just painting the bottom white. I don't plan on any fish that require sand. don't know if I want bb or a thin layer of sand.

 

[jmelchor]

Live sand will often help by being a home to beneficial bacteria which will help with the nitrification, denitrification, and organic waste degradation of your system. It serves a real similar function as live rock, if not the same one. All that sand will give your tank more surface area for bacteria to grow in. A tank is capable of being without sand, but imho you may run a higher risk of things getting out of control, so to avoid that, you have to be more on top of water changes, etc... I would say a thin layer would be great, one, for looks, and two, for the benefit of more surface area for beneficial bacteria to grow in.

 

[Reefing Madness]

BB, you have less issues with detritus collecting. And with enough Live Rock, the beneficial bacteria is taken care of.
Painting the bottom is a great idea. But I'd paint it black or blue.

 

[150er]

I personally don't like bare bottom look at all, especially just FOWLR. Natural look is best.
If your tank flow efficient enough, you don't have to worry about detritus.

 

[glb]

I'm not a fan of the bare bottom look but that's just my opinion. I just like the look of sand.