I Don't Want Sand. I dont Want Clear Bottom. What else?

We've run acrylic setups for years with no problems...what you have to do is get rid of the magnet cleaner OR only use them above the substrate line. I use a regular old "acrylic grade" scrubber pad, but I hang one finger below the pad, as a "guide" so I don't put the pad into the substrate. Then, to clean down to the substrate, I use a plastic scraper (only scrape downward).

As far as substrate is concerned, we use #3 or #1 grade aragonite.

HTH

 

florida crushed sea shells its very cool you can get it at petsmart heres a photo of what it looks like

 

That might be whats causing your algae problem. That will build up waay to much detritus, especially with the low flow in your tank.

 

i use this in my nano tank, not the tank thats having the problem in that tank i use sand

 

Anything can be a detritus trap or nitrate factory if not properly maintained. With occasional vacuuming, any substrate can be used, including crushed shells.

 

dude with all do respect! you're using tap water for your top offs and water changes and wonderig why ya have a cyano algae problem! Might be time to listen to some of the pro's on here! it may save ya a ton of cash and time! i made alot of mistakes too! and learned from these guys! i'd take these guys advice! read and research and make your own decisions for sure, but don't argue when you're still using tap water! IMO!

 

good suggestions. Thanks. I'm also wondering, is it ok to just have about 1/4"-1/2" sand bed? Or, if you use sand at all, it needs to be at least 2"-4"?

 

Imo it only has to be deepish if u want gobys and other animals like gobies

 

dude come on! repeat! read a few posts up!

 

@fishnthiecorner i'd listen to the experts on this! PM them if you don't get the response you like! I'm sure any of them will be glad to help you out! Mr. bill is a great start! sorry for that Mr. Bill!lol