Should i?

[GTkeeper]

Should i use a sand bottom or a gravel bottom for my tank? I just bought a new 75 gallon and i am going to house chichlids and i heard they will pick up rocks and spit them at the glass. And the tank was expensive lol i dont want the to happen. Is that true to the point it could break the glass? is it worth $30 extra for sand?

Thanks

 

[manlyfish]

well sand looks nicer...and i've never actually heard of them doing that tho...

 

[GTkeeper]

well sand looks nicer...and i've never actually heard of them doing that tho...

yeah i think so too. but yeah i think i read it a ouple places and some lady at my lfs was tellin me that as well

 

[Mussin]

My red Devil spit rock all over the tank, including the glass. There is no way it will break any tank though, I wouldnt worry about it.

 

[Sarah88]

yeah its not gonna break the glass, it'll just make little tapping noises, but i like the look of sand better and you can get it for dirt cheap at a home improvement or pool store, just get 2 bags of pool filter sand and that should be more than enough (make sure to NOT get play sand though) just rinse it well and its a great sand, i use it in all my tanks and it looks great

 

[David K. Bradley]

Should i use a sand bottom or a gravel bottom for my tank? I just bought a new 75 gallon and i am going to house chichlids and i heard they will pick up rocks and spit them at the glass. And the tank was expensive lol i dont want the to happen. Is that true to the point it could break the glass? is it worth $30 extra for sand?

Thanks

Should i use a sand bottom or a gravel bottom for my tank? I would think this would be a personal decission and what you are able to afford.

I just bought a new 75 gallon and i am going to house chichlids and i heard they will pick up rocks and spit them at the glass. And the tank was expensive lol i dont want the to happen. Is that true to the point it could break the glass? I have raised cichlids in the past and my cichlids did move gravel in their tanks, but I never had them spitting gravel or rocks at glass and causing it to break. They moved the gravel around for their individual territories and nesting sites and etc.; but never breaking the glass walls. I have had 3 to 4 inch (mbuna's), 6 to 8 inch (pearl cichlids and Texas cichlids) and the largest being 14 inch (Oscars). All of them had gravel and 3 to 8 inch rocks in their tanks as well. At no one time had I experienced having any broken tanks. All the large rocks in their tanks were secured to the tank bottom, walls, and each other with aquarium safe silicone. You can also use GE 1 silicone and GE 1300 silicone. Most MFK members who use any of the two GE silicones mentioned use the clear type. You secure the larger rocks before adding any substrate or water and allow the silicone to dry for a least 24 hours.

is it worth $30 extra for sand? This is a decission you will have to make on your own. I had no troubles using gravel in all of my cichlid tanks. If you are truly worried of the gravel breaking your glass tank, then by all reasons, decided upon by you and you alone, then spend the extra cash for the sand and then you will have peace of mind. Otherwise, I would go with the aquarium gravel.

 

[Kalen]

I don't know how it is in your area but I done a 55gal with pool filter sand for $5. I do not use gravel in any of my tanks because I do not like the looks of it, but I have noticed it is more expensive than the sand.

 

[Jason_S]

yeah as others have said, a cichlid spitting gravel around isn't going to break the tank glass. Which one you use is simply up to your preference.

Also, you shouldn't have to spend more than $10 on substrate unless there's something specific you want. If you want gravel, you can go to Lowes and get pea gravel for something like $3 for a 50 lb bag. If you want sand then you can go with pool filter sand for I think $5 for a 50 lb bag.

Both look very natural but they will require a lot of rinsing before you put them in the tank. That's the price you pay for getting it cheaper but it's definitely worth it.