Gravel

[cichlidbreeder321]

How much gravel would i need to buy for my 55 gallon tank?

 

[GhillieSniper115]

How much gravel would i need to buy for my 55 gallon tank?

Alot. Enough to cover the bottom at least 3in

 

[BillD]

You don't need 3" of gravel (even if growing plants). I would guess you would need between 50 and 75 lbs, depending on how deep you want it. Depending on what color you want, some can be had at construction supply stores for less than $10 for 50 lbs.

 

[Sonomakid]

55lbs will be plenty of gravel, but if your open to opinions i would look into pool filter sand as well, looks natrual easy to clean and you can get 50lbs bag for around 8 dollars from the local pool shop.

 

[gatorjon]

Can you mix sand and gravel?

 

[jetajockey]

if you want to. Some people dont like the look of them mixed. I have some multicolor sand mixed with gravel and it doesnt look bad, but i dont know about mixing white sand with gravel.

 

[HUKIT]

Can you mix sand and gravel?

This usually doesn't work since the smaller sand particles will fall between the larger gravel and end up below.

 

[WendiDell]

What type of Cichlids are you plannig on keeping?

 

[mdawg75]

Much depends on the type of Cichlid your going to keep. PFS looks great and is more like the bed of some of the lakes that the Africans come from. I personally got a crushed coral/shell mixture called Cichlid mix to raise the PH so I did not have to use any buffers and it seems to work well for my Peacocks. Im still fairly new to it though so take the advice of the good folks on here and make a command decision about YOUR tank.

 

[WendiDell]

Much depends on the type of Cichlid your going to keep. PFS looks great and is more like the bed of some of the lakes that the Africans come from. I personally got a crushed coral/shell mixture called Cichlid mix to raise the PH so I did not have to use any buffers and it seems to work well for my Peacocks. Im still fairly new to it though so take the advice of the good folks on here and make a command decision about YOUR tank.

I too use the crushed shells/coral to keep my pH up. It's a much safer and cost effective way to keep a stable pH. It also adds the minerals African Cichlids need to the water that they would normally get from the lake.
There are a few wives tales out there about the fish getting scratched by the shells, not true. Since switching to the shell/coral substrate my Mbunas have been happier, so is my wallet.

 

[HUKIT]

I too use the crushed shells/coral to keep my pH up. It's a much safer and cost effective way to keep a stable pH. It also adds the minerals African Cichlids need to the water that they would normally get from the lake.
There are a few wives tales out there about the fish getting scratched by the shells, not true. Since switching to the shell/coral substrate my Mbunas have been happier, so is my wallet.

Keeping a high PH with Africans is almost pointless, these are line bred fish not wild caught from Lake Malawi. Most of the fish sold today are from local breeders raising fish in the same water at your house. As long as it's stable out of the tap your fine without buffers like limestone, crushed coral or high PH substrate. I think you'll find the majority of us keeping mbuna, peacocks, and haps dont use any buffers.

 

[WendiDell]

Keeping a high PH with Africans is almost pointless, these are line bred fish not wild caught from Lake Malawi. Most of the fish sold today are from local breeders raising fish in the same water at your house. As long as it's stable out of the tap your fine without buffers like limestone, crushed coral or high PH substrate. I think you'll find the majority of us keeping mbuna, peacocks, and haps dont use any buffers.

I didn't worry about it at first but, my fish have been more active and their coloring is better and they've have less aggressive since I raised the pH and put the crushed shells in the tank.

I have a question about pH. A friend of mine has a pH of 8.0 from the tap. Which would be perfect if he wanted Mbunas, but no such luck.
He's planning a 107g community tank. How can he naturally bring down the pH? He's already tried Mango wood, with no change to his pH.
He's open to any and all suggestions.

 

[HUKIT]

Most fish will acclimate fine to a higher PH level as long as it's stable with no drastic swings. My ph is around 7.8-8.0 and I've kept everything from tropicals to discus with that and no issues at all. If he does try to lower I would stay away from chemicals and try something natural like peat moss or driftwood to help slightly soften it.

 

[WendiDell]

Most fish will acclimate fine to a higher PH level as long as it's stable with no drastic swings. My pH is around 7.8-8.0 and I've kept everything from tropicals to discus with that and no issues at all. If he does try to lower I would stay away from chemicals and try something natural like peat moss or driftwood to help slightly soften it.

He already put the wood in which brought his pH down to 8.0. I suggested that he try using bigger or more pieces of wood, instead of just one piece.
I'll let him know that any fish he does get should be able to adjust to the slightly higher pH as long as it's stable.