New (no gravel) setup

[Quatro]

Hey,

Just setting up a new tank and looking for opinions before I go much further.  I decided that I want to try a no gravel setup but heard that fish may be stressed by this.  Today I purchased a stone texture spray paint from Home Depot.  I painted the bottom and really like how it turned out.  I will be using a Penguin 100B Biowheel in this tank so biological filtration should be fine.  It will be the home to guppies and black skirts tetras.

I gonna steal my own thread here and ask a side question.  If you keep different colored guppies in the same tank will they eventually become the same color???

Thanks

Mike S

[squeeker]

I've never heard of keeping tropicals in a barebottom tank, byt many goldfish keepers do this as it's much easier to keep clean.  Plants can even be planted in little pots with gravel in them to give the fish someplace to hide.

Good luck with your project!

BTW, how see-through is the stone-texture paint?  It might look good as a background, too...

[Quatro]

As for plants I have java moss that will be attached to the driftwood and pennywort floating on the surface.  That should give the fish places to hide and save a few fry.  I'm  also considering a BN pleco but not sure how a bottom feeder will feel with no gravel.

BTW, how see-through is the stone-texture paint?  It might look good as a background, too...

Not sure what you mean "see-through".  The paint is not see-through at all (I put on a few coats).  Still undecided about the background.  I may paint it a deep blue or buy one of the standard backgrounds.

Mike S

[mseguin]

The colour pf the guppies is determined by genetics, the other fish should have no effect. Unless u meant through multiple generations?

[Quatro]

The colour pf the guppies is determined by genetics, the other fish should have no effect. Unless u meant through multiple generations?

I meant through many generations.  Does the color of the fry come from just the male parent or does the female contribute?  

Come to think of it, that was a silly question.  I've read that people breed their own stain of guppies and obviously there would be no color variation if it only came from one parent.  Sorry my bad.  

Mike S

[Woody]

I only have one tank that has a gravel bottom, all the rest of my tanks have no gravel. I just put rocks and wood, artifical plants, and live plants, potted in clay pots sitting on the bottom.
I have not noticed that the fish are any more stressed, I also clean up the bottom daily and find it makes it more easier for me. The fish breed constantly and display for me nice.
I actually have a pair of wild shy cichlids, they constantly hide when I walk into the room, but they lay eggs for me roughly every three weeks, and when they think I'm not there, they are out and about swimming around.
Painted that stone textured bottom would releive any problems anyway.

Talk to you soon

Woody

[pegasus]

A friend of mine that breeds plecos has them on bare bottom tanks with drifwood, java moss and clay pots.

[darkdep]

What would be cool would be if you could put the stone textured paint on the INSIDE of the tank...