To slope or not...

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DanielSev

Prolific Poster
Nov 9, 2011
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Seville, Spain
Hi,

My tank arrived a week ago and I am finally getting all the equipment and elements to start my first planted tank ! Tank size is 31 x 16 x 20 (aprox as it has a canopy). With a depth of just 16 inches I'm debating if it is better to slope the substrate or keep it approximately to the same level across the tank. Refraction comes into play here, and the optical effect is that of a somewhat 2D look when filled with water (I have tested it for leaks).

What do you think about sloping your substrate ?

Best regards,
Daniel
 
Wet

Wet

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Aug 25, 2006
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I think you should definitely slope because flat tanks are boring. But don't just think front to back, Think about how the Dutch do it and set different heights bordered by hardscape, and then grow rows of species that blend nicely at the top but keep physical separation near the bottom. (This is a huge help with the weedy but pretty species, like most Rotalas and Hemianthus). Think about mounds where you could play with mid-height or ground cover and create depth in the tank. Think about the spots plants will like and maybe an extended open area for a path of, say, Glosso or Crypt parva and stuff. It's cool seeing a Glosso patch halfway or a quarter up the tank! Think about the tanks with cool mound or triangle scapes -- you can cheat a nice bushy area with relatively short (and so easy to shape) stems, for example.

I think it's fun to play with the mounds that happen as I pour in substrate, then try it out. I tend to not mind the cloudiness of playing with slopes in a fishless young tank while figuring out what I like, though. I vote to experiment because there's plenty of ways to do it :)
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Tom Barr

Tom Barr

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Jan 23, 2005
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The answer is always slope.

hehe

Steeper the better if you can hardscape to keep it there.

But many get flat tank syndrome after a few months, so.........
 
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