I have an Oscar and a Geaophagus. Is it better to have a plain bottom of the tank or have some gravel and sand?
Thanks for your help
Thanks for your help
Plain bottom or gravel (sand)
- Thread starter Stewey
- Start date
I keep 3 or 4 inches of small grain gravel in my tanks. That depth allows plenty of area for a very large colony of benificial bacteria to florish.
The thick substrate, coupled with careful feeding & one 50% WC a week, lessens the need for routine gravel vacs and leads to clear water w/ healthy fish.
The thick substrate, coupled with careful feeding & one 50% WC a week, lessens the need for routine gravel vacs and leads to clear water w/ healthy fish.
all for aesthetics although Geo’s naturally sift through sand in nature so if you wanna see their natural behavior give them what they desire I have a gravel sand mix with my sveni
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tcav88 - thanks for the photo - looks amazing. I had tried sand for a while but I found it made it a lot harder to gravel vac? Maybe I was doing something wrong 
Not all sand is the same. Some are smaller grained and tend to just get sucked up by gravel vacs and right down your drain it goes. Also what sand you use depends on your stocking. If you have diggers then you are going to want to get a bigger grain of sand so it settles back to the bottom. And not get carried around your tanks by the current, ultimately getting into your filters and chewing up the impeller.
The best way to clean small grain sand from my experience is by getting a hand pump siphon like this
To clean the sand keep the end about 1/2 an inch or so above the sand. The detritus should get sucked up but not the sand. Drain this into a 5gal bucket so you can then dump the water and reclaim any sand accidentally sucked up as well.
Small grained sand compacts a lot more as well. Each water change use your fingures to stir the sand to get out any trapped gas from detritus breaking down. Don't do the whole tank tho, about 1/4a water change.
The best way to clean small grain sand from my experience is by getting a hand pump siphon like this
To clean the sand keep the end about 1/2 an inch or so above the sand. The detritus should get sucked up but not the sand. Drain this into a 5gal bucket so you can then dump the water and reclaim any sand accidentally sucked up as well.
Small grained sand compacts a lot more as well. Each water change use your fingures to stir the sand to get out any trapped gas from detritus breaking down. Don't do the whole tank tho, about 1/4a water change.
I use pool filter sand and use powerheads to push debris down the overflows never had to gravel vac but if you do is just a light feathering over the sand with a python super easytcav88 - thanks for the photo - looks amazing. I had tried sand for a while but I found it made it a lot harder to gravel vac? Maybe I was doing something wrong
Well to actually answer your question. In my experience it's better to have substrate in tanks with cichlids.
One time I had my Oscar in a tank with no substrate. The whole time she was trying to attack/chase her reflection. This stopped when substrate was added two weeks later.
One time I had my Oscar in a tank with no substrate. The whole time she was trying to attack/chase her reflection. This stopped when substrate was added two weeks later.
The genus name Geophagus, means earth eater.
Will they die, or become psychotic killers when not given a sand/gravel substrate? I doubt it.
Will they show normal behavior, and maybe react positively, or feel less stress in a caged environment where a substrate that allows them to do what Geophagines do for a living under natural conditions? Maybe.
I've used pool filter sand with all the Geophagines I've kept, and never had any problem vacuuming the substrate. In fact I've always found it easier to vac, because the debris doesn't work its way into sand, thru the tighter interstitial spaces, and is more easily vacuumed off the substrate surface without a lot of digging or plowing around.
Will they die, or become psychotic killers when not given a sand/gravel substrate? I doubt it.
Will they show normal behavior, and maybe react positively, or feel less stress in a caged environment where a substrate that allows them to do what Geophagines do for a living under natural conditions? Maybe.
I've used pool filter sand with all the Geophagines I've kept, and never had any problem vacuuming the substrate. In fact I've always found it easier to vac, because the debris doesn't work its way into sand, thru the tighter interstitial spaces, and is more easily vacuumed off the substrate surface without a lot of digging or plowing around.
I will never understand non-substrate tanks and tanks with ceramic tile layed at the bottom.
U-G-L-Y
U-G-L-Y