rburns4147

I kept fish 25 years ago and then it was recommended to slope the substrate with it being deeper in the back of the tank to shallower in the front. The idea was that debris and fish droppings would work their way to the front for easier cleaning. My experience then was the it didn't really help all that much. I am getting back into fish keeping and am setting up a new freshwater tank now (waiting on the ammonia cycle); is it a good idea to slope the sustrate or does it matter? I will not be using live plants.

soldieroffortune1974

Welcome back to the hobby,and to fishlore! Sloping the substrate was a big deal then,and most of the books still say the same thing,but as you said,it doesn't matter much 1 way or the other. I would just aquascape any way of your choosing,slanted substrate,hills,or valleys.In 25 years there are a lot of new gadgets and filters on the market,so happy fish-keeping and welcome.

Barbrella

People mostly slant the substrate to give the tank an illusion of greater depth. If you combine that with small plants in front and taller in back, it does make the tank seem much deeper from the front to the back glass.

sirdarksol

I go with the "aquascape the way I feel like it" method. Like you, I never noticed a difference when I did slope the substrate.

FishFolk

Fish generally, mainly cichlids and bottom dwelling fish, will change the substrate with hills and slopes that they please. Sometimes no matter how many times you make the subtrate how you want it, the fish keep changing it and its best to just leave it be.

fishlover78

welcome to fishlore and welcome back into this fum and exciting hobby! I had plecos in a tank a while back and they would always change the gravel patterns (they would push they gravel to the front of the tank so they could lay on they bottom in the back and be hidden!) as you probably have found there is a ton of new equipment out there now (but they still make the ever so humble corner filter and mine are still running strong!)

rburns4147

Thanks everyone for your responses. It is fun seeing the differences in technology and opinions over 25 years.

Escobar

I am a newcomer into this hobby and you all know alot more than me. I would definitely agree with alot of the comments above about the fish moving the substrate and rearranging it to how they like. I now have cichlid malawis and they are forever changing their landscape. What I would say is be careful of having substrate that is deep, as if it not moved or cleaned, nitrogen pockets will develope which when released will be Kaboom!! in your tank.

ewolfe315

It all depends on if your going with live plants. Some of them really need a deep bed to root in. I still use the slope method if you consider 4 inches in the rear to 3 inches in the front. The only place in my aquarium where it is'nt deep is where the caves are,it looks like an underground dugout in baseball.

I have not seen any noticable affect at all to slope methods to be advententagous for cleaning purposes with just gravel bottoms to sand bottoms to just your normal planted bottoms.