PaleoShrimp Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 Hello Everyone, I’m planning to get some guppies and do a new planted tank with them. I’ve been trying to decide whether to find a dark substrate or go with something more natural colored. I want their colors to really pop. The back and sides of the tank will be painted black. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chad Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 Great question and one that is full-on opinion based. This is purely about what you want the fish to look like and each fish responds differently to their environment. So, I like the black background and a lighter colored substrate. The lighter substrate brightens the tank as the light reflects off it more. It also brightens up guppies, imho. I first had dark substrate and for the longest time was worried my guppies were sick. Seriously, where I thought they'd be silvery on their bodies, they were instead dark and dingy. Again, to me that's how it felt. I've heard it said that a darker substrate makes them color up more, and I guess it does, it also makes them darken up more. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mynameisnobody Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 Depends on the fish and your opinion. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLFishChik Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 This might help you to decide. Interesting information in this video. 2 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rube_Goldfish Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 On 3/21/2024 at 3:29 PM, PaleoShrimp said: Hello Everyone, I’m planning to get some guppies and do a new planted tank with them. I’ve been trying to decide whether to find a dark substrate or go with something more natural colored. I want their colors to really pop. The back and sides of the tank will be painted black. I agree that it's totally subjective. Other than just trying both, which isn't really practical if you're not running multiple tanks, I'd say to look at lots of tanks online and at your LFS, and see which ones just look better to you, and go from there. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bsquared Posted March 21 Share Posted March 21 Like everyone has said before, it really is up to personal taste. I have tanks that have a black substrate and some that have a lighter sand. With a black background, your guppies colors should pop either way. I find that the background color can have just as big an impact as the substrate, especially if the tank isn't completely full of plants. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyxxl Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 I chose sand and gravel in natural colors because the colors should look brighter. But one thing you could do is check multiple pictures here and other sites for looks, like MD's fish room he uses lots of colors of substrate in his videos. Cory has also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmiller2001 Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 (edited) I like black substrate and black backgrounds. Using a Moss wall can add dept and make certain color really shine. My tank is in transition so you can get a feel for both. I have a black substrate, a moss wall on the right and a Trip wall started on the back with areas of black showing still. Hope this can help you decide. Edited March 22 by Mmiller2001 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaleoShrimp Posted March 22 Author Share Posted March 22 Thank you everyone for your ideas! @FLFishChik Great video, thank you! @Mmiller2001 your tank looks amazing! I like how the dark background and substrate really make the plants stand out. I think I’m going to visit some stores and watch videos as suggested. Whatever I end up doing, I’ll share it when it’s finally setup. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyM Posted March 22 Share Posted March 22 It kinda depends on your hardscape as well. If you have a lot of brown driftwood, then maybe you don't want a similar color substrate. My driftwood actually has some black streaks in it, as do my rocks - so I went with black sand. It highlights the hardscape and makes the green plants really pop. My cory cats also have some black in their coloring (mostly pandas) and the black substrate really makes their black "more black" - if that makes sense. I added some small, smooth, black "scatter rocks" around, and it really ties the room together. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitecloud09 Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 Yeah I personally like the just plain gravel. The lighter kind, but I have seen amazing things done with darker gravel, @Mmiller2001’s tank is a good example of that for sure, but it’s all what you think at the end and what you want for your guppies! 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLFishChik Posted March 23 Share Posted March 23 (edited) Totally jumping off the cliff here…. BUT…. spare 10g tank divided in half. One side place some black river rock (the chunky kind you’d only need a few pieces of - dollar store is a good place to find) the other side a light color rock. Take a piece of white poster behind black rock and a piece of black poster behind white rock and tape to back. Stick a fish in… observe. Then switch sides with the poster board and observe… make your decision from there . I am a closet GENIUS! j/k… it could work tho. Edited March 23 by FLFishChik 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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