Tips fpr 1st-time Sand -bottom tank

[Frank Castle]

I just started a sand bottom tank,...in total if you add everything in the tank together, excluding water, there is exactly.......sand. That's it lol The tank is about 10 minutes-old.

I have only ever kept gravel substrates. I figure if nothing else sounds good, my LFS has heterozygous for Pink Convicts I can nab a pair of them at least. Any thoughts or ideas u guys want, let's hear it, anything at all.

 

[ehh]

are you asking what you put in the tank?
i prefer the look of sand over gravel. but i think gravel is easier to clean. you just jab at gravel with a gravel vac but you can't do that with sand. you have to hover over the sand. but debris won't fall into the sand the way it does with gravel. it'll just stay on the surface.
what color sand did you go with?

 

[pops]

and are your fish diggers?

 

[haynchinook334]

Pool filter sand. Easiest sand to clean.

 

[Frank Castle]

are you asking what you put in the tank?
i prefer the look of sand over gravel. but i think gravel is easier to clean. you just jab at gravel with a gravel vac but you can't do that with sand. you have to hover over the sand. but debris won't fall into the sand the way it does with gravel. it'll just stay on the surface.
what color sand did you go with?

Natural. Wouldn't mind some advice on stocking, but mainly what I won't be aware of if I never kept a sand-bottom tank so I can stay ahead of my follies and failures Btw, it's a 10g for starters, but I might do a 30BR. in sand and maybe even my 75g if I really like it

and are your fish diggers?

It doesn't have any fish in it yet, but I have a few different species of Earth-eaters in different tanks, so since I'm just getting used to them, I been thinking of converting to some sand-bottom tanks since I read it's more favorable for them.

Pool filter sand. Easiest sand to clean.

I used regular ol' natural colored play sand from Home Depot or Lowe's or w/e. I got 6 tanks already/ w/ gravel and I just said, "maybe I'll do sand for these other 3-4."
I think I'm gonna stock all except like 2 maybe 3 and just save them for hospital or nursery tanks. Whenever I have fry I end up turning that tank into a grow out/juvenile tank eventually for numerous species anyway, so why rush, right?

 

[ehh]

Well if it's only a ten gallon you're pretty much limited to dwarf cichlids.

 

[Frank Castle]

Well if it's only a ten gallon you're pretty much limited to dwarf cichlids.

hey, I got Jewels for an option....I always see them classed in the African dwarf sections, but if Jewels are considered "Dwarfs" why are Convict NOT, when they have exact same size range? Even Dwarf Pike cichlids get 6", and 6" is big for Convict or Jewel alike, TMK. I had breeding pairs of Jewels max out at 4" and stop growing.

My tap water is way to high for Kribensis (7.6ph) and I don't like the way our LFS's SA-Dwarves look...they got that sunken belly syndrome nonsense even though they eat a lot. WTH is that, anyone? That's some type of ailments, isn't it?

 

[ehh]

Jewels aren't dwarfs.
Dwarf cichlids are tiny. They in the 2-3" range.

Dwarf pikes are different. I think they're considered dwarfs relative to the size the rest of the fish in the genus.

 

[haynchinook334]

Don't understand what you are asking, but a 50lbs of pool filter sand will fill up all the tanks mentioned to about 1"-2" of sand. For a hospital or QT tank, I'd go bare bottom tank. A nursery, same thing but with a sponge filter.

Kribs, aren't they not African cichlid that need high ph? Lol

 

[Frank Castle]

Don't understand what you are asking, but a 50lbs of pool filter sand will fill up all the tanks mentioned to about 1"-2" of sand. For a hospital or QT tank, I'd go bare bottom tank. A nursery, same thing but with a sponge filter.

Kribs, aren't they not African cichlid that need high ph? Lol

Yes they are but a ph of 5.0-6.0 max is recommended. That is what the water is where they are from in local African rivers and streams from what I read. They LOOK like Mbuna but are nowhere close to it.

I have well over 50lbs, but im starting with a small 10g w/ 2-3 inches to see if I like it. Nursery always get some bottom and lots of caves, just small ones, and a sponge filter was my 1st idea....I actually have a 180g-rated air pump w/ 4 valves, I was gonna use it for several sponge filters and use ONE electrical cord to power at least 4 tanks with sponges. I have at least 1/2-dozen others sitting idle if I need them.

Jewels aren't dwarfs.
Dwarf cichlids are tiny. They in the 2-3" range.

The book I have lists them as African dwarf along with several others this site doesn't. An exceptional male may get 6", but 95% I have ever seen were only 4", max.