need help on sand as subtrate

[victor66]

hey guys i was just wondering what king of sand i should use for my 55gal. cichlid tank, i would prefer white sand .and how many Lbs. should i put in it? thanx guys,,,

 

[tjudy]

Unless you intend to plant it, I would avoid sand. There is too much of a risk for the formation of anaerobic pockets of organic rot that can generate hydrogen sulfide. If you must go with sand... keep it very shallow. 1/2 inch tops.. and do not cover it with a lot of rocks or anything. I am not really a fan of sand even if you are planting it... but I know that many people have great results with it in heavily planted tanks. Healthy plants will keep the anaerobic pockets from formiing as easily.

 

[Neil]

victor66,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

I use either sand or fine natural gravel in all of my tanks. However, there are very few that are more than about a 1/4 inch deep. When vaccuming, it is not much different than bare bottom tanks, but it has the advantage of allowing some digging or moving, buffering and a more natural look. I think it is a good idea to have some substrate for Dwarf Cichlids to forage through, because that is a large portion of the way they acquire food in the wild.

Neil

 

[Cichlids1]

I've got sand, at varying depths, in a few tanks now. I haven't noticed the anaerobic problems that people always seem to mention when talking about sand. Could be a few reasons for that. First, all my tanks are planted in some way. Some plants do very well, others (Anubias) tend to melt away in a few days. Second, I don't have anything laying on the surface of the sand that isn't moved frequently. I've got a few split terre-cotta flower pots, but the cichlids are always excavating in and around them. And finally, MTS (Malaysian Trumpet Snails). I use them in all my sand tanks. I do believe they are like the earthworm of an aquarium. Always burrowing and keeping the substrate from becoming compacted. One thing I noticed right from the start is a change in behaviour in the fish. They all seem to be sifting, digging, rooting around in the sand. In gravel tanks, they might pick around but none of them actually seem to move much. They seem much more comfortable in a sandy setting. GOod luck with whatever you choose to do.

 

[farm41]

MTS are wonderful little critters, I keep them in all my tanks. I think in a sand bottom tank they could alleviate a lot of problems. In a non planted tank there is no need for a deep substrate. 1/2 to 1" max is all that is needed.

 

[aspen]

many different cichlids i have kept esp dwarfs appreciate the sand over bigger gravel. i agree, in a non-planted tank, you don't need that much. right now i have sand mixed with natural gravel in my previously planted 35. very nice.

my sand was 'decorative white silica sand' from home depot. it comes in 50# bags for 5 bucks. they get their stuff from local sources, so YMMV. check it out, it may not be good for fish from different local sources.

rick

 

[jvanrompu]

I just use the play or river sand sold in most nurseries, $5 canadian for 50 KG(112 lbs). I use it in most of my tanks planted or not. I have it relatively thick in my non planted tanks 2-3 inches.
I have never over 35 years of fish keeping have had any problems with aerobic bacteria problems.
Occassionally a gas bubbles appears from the gravel but plecos & Corydoras or bottom fish will keep this stirred up any way.
I have had numerous old timers tell me that the gas is not harmful to the fish anyway, if the sand is clean when it goes into the tank, there should be no debris left to cause this rotting anyway, once it is in the tank, nothing will penetrate it to rot.

By the way, in nature the same rotting or gas appears so what is wrong with it if you get it.
Just maintain proper aquarium maintenance and change your water.

IMHO

John

 

[jerseyjay]

Actually, it depends on what you want. MTS are despised and considered a
menace by folks who breed fish. Their carnivorous habits are most focused on eating eggs. With killies, they will strip a spawning mop clean, every night, and disappear back into the substrate for the day. Likewise, cichlids will guard eggs during the day but lose them at night.

Yes, they stir the gravel and are slow to pick on plants compared to many
other kinds of snail. They are also really tough to get rid of. Loaches may
eat them in soft water, but the shells get too tough in harder water.

The trapdoor and their ability to "hibernate" makes poisoning, freezing,
etc. impossible control methods. Strong acid and boiling are the only
methods known for sure to kill them.

A saucer of sliced meat can be collected before dawn each day to reduce the population, but it never gets all of them.

 

[farm41]

Hi Jay,


I hadn't really thought about them being egg eaters, but I have noticed my spawns are a lot smaller in my planted tanks with lot's of MTS. Huge spawns in my breeding tanks though. I had always thought it to be the water being harder and higher Ph in my planted tanks.

 

[Neil]

Jay ,

WELCOME TO THE FORUM

Good points, Jay. It is suprising how complex the relationship between many of these animals and our aquaria is. Good one moment, bad the next. It is very helpful to have information like this.
Neil