sand???

[Rinaldo]

Hi again all,
I bought my 55 gal last night for 89 with hood and lights !
Decided on ciclids, going to go with dwarf ciclids, the websites you have all pointed me to all claim that the majority of them are non aggressive. SO I figure put 10 in a tank with maybe 5 other communal fish and be content with the colors .

Many of you use sand bottoms. I live on the beach, can I collect beach sand? White and red sand are both a block away from my house. Lastly, what filtration do I need to clean sand? WIth gravel a siphon can get the food and such out... what would I need for sand or would a regular hanging filter work?


thanks a million.
Rinaldo

 

[greenmaji]

I would get a sponge prefilter to keep from damaging my impeller..
Im not sure if its wise to collect sand from a beach.. I think silicate sand is the natural stuff and you want a quarts basted sand for your aquarium.. alot of people seem to be using a play sand for sold for childrens sand boxes..
Even though the smaller cichlids are not very aggressive you still need to be a little cautious what you put in the aquarium with them.. you might want to post your ideas on fish selection to see if anyone can give you some input on that..
From what Ive read they dont put the gravel vac down into the sand they wave it just above it to remove the stuff thats on the top and stir the sand to keep it from going anaerobic.

 

[Fishyfanatic]

You can use whatever filter you want with sand, except for an ugf. I have used a canister, hob, and internal, without any problems. The heavier the sand, the easier it is. Pool filter sand is a nice heavy sand that won't cloud the tank very much if rinsed properly. I'm not sure about getting sand from the beach. I wouldn't do it just because of the potential contaminents. Some people with sand just wave the gravel vac over top of the sand, I push it into the sand about a half inch to an inch, then shake out the sand. When doing this you have to have a heavier sand and be careful not to syphon out the sand. I haven't lost hardly any sand at all since I've done this. Watch your feeding so you don't overfeed. That way you don't have to worry about the leftover food.

Since the tank is 55 gal and you are leaning towards Cichlids, I'd use a canister filter. They are messy fish and need extra filtration. Canister will leave your water crystal clear. They have a higher up front cost, but they are durable, flexible, and you don't have to be so confined to what the manufactuer wants you to use.

 

[Meaile]

Can you get Pool Filter Sand at a HD? Is it expensive? Is there any other type of heavy sand?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Pool filter sand can be bought from a pool suppply store. I spent $15 for a 50 lb bag but I have heard of people only spending $5 for a 50 lb bag. I think it just depends on where you live. I have heard of people using play sand, but I've never used it so I can't commend on the heaviness.

 

[greenmaji]

If you want to know more about the play sand I would search the SW areas.. they seem to post about it alot..

 

[Meaile]

Great! Thank you!

 

[Rinaldo]

Ok great, So it's playsand or pool sand, I live in miami there's plenty of play sand and pool stores around here.
How many of you use sand or is gravel better for ciclids, I read in some posts and articles that I would do myself and the cichlids an injustice if I did not provide them with sand since it's what tehy're used to and they do cool things in the sand.

I appreciate all your help

 

[krap101]

just get silica. unlses you need harder water, then look for the aragnite. i saw it at home depot 5$ for a 50 lb bag. here its about 3.50 for a 40 pound bag of silica sand

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Cichlids seem to like sand better. They will dig around in it and move it around. The sand is easier for them to move it seems.

 

[krap101]

some of the larger cichlids will spit rocks out of their lil home

 

[FishHugger]

yea, i am getting a 55 gallon and plan on putting cichlids in there, i want to put sand in it, but if the cichlids dig around with their head, wouldnt they make the sand float around all over the tank and it will never settle down???

 

[krap101]

i dont even wash my silica when i use it. it sinks almost instantly and doesnt need cleaning. i egt the "handy sand" from menards. you need to wash play sand alot though, even though it conststs mainly of silica

 

[FishHugger]

i wish that we had a menards down here, but those are only upnorth where i used to live, the menards guy on the commercials for oshkosh wisconsin(did local only commercials) died before we moved

can i get handy sand anywhere else?

 

[Fishyfanatic]

Pool filter sand needs to be washed because of the particles that can be found in it. There isn't too many of them, but they should still be cleaned out. When the cichlid spits the sand out, it will immediately sink. There's no worries about it staying afloat.

 

[Rinaldo]

so pool filter sand or homedepot sand will work just fine?
Is it silica or not I can't get a clear answer from the responses lol... I'm so confused

 

[Jherr]

Ok great, So it's playsand or pool sand, I live in miami there's plenty of play sand and pool stores around here.
How many of you use sand or is gravel better for ciclids, I read in some posts and articles that I would do myself and the cichlids an injustice if I did not provide them with sand since it's what tehy're used to and they do cool things in the sand.

I appreciate all your help

Im also from Miami, and Im using Pool Filter Sand on my 29 gal. I bought some at a pool supply store on Bird Rd and 109th Ave for 8.99 / 50lb bag.

 

[greenmaji]

I think sand is almost a SW subject.. I would think the information received would be more clear from the SW area.. JMHO though.
I do realize that FW hobbiest use sand.. but not nearly as many as SW hobbiest..

 

[krap101]

saltwater usually use aragnite or crushed coral though. unless you have african cichlids id go with the silica

 

[greenmaji]

saltwater usually use aragnite or crushed coral though. unless you have african cichlids id go with the silica

I dont think they use aragnite or CC in there deep sand beds..