Hey guys, I've set up a 10 gallon at my house, and I intend to use sand or crushed coral as the substrate, but i'm not sure which fish I should put in with sand or crushed coral at the bottom. Any ideas for either surface dwellers or bottom feeders? Thanks!
stocking ideas for a tank with sand/crushed coral?
- Thread starter David492
- Start date
If you do crushed coral that will raise the ph and you will have to stock with that in mind. I would go for the sand honestly. You could do a neolamprologus (shell dwellers) tank, an Apisto pair, killi fish, tetras, rasboras, a golden white cloud tank. You could also do livebearers. Tons of possibilities
The crushed will keep ph at a higher level if you didn't know this. I suggest smallest specie of African Shell Dwellers.
It all depends on the alkalinity of your tap water.
If you have a low alkalinity, crushed coral sand will raise the pH a little, and it will help buffer the acidity from fish urine and decomposition by-products, which can by important in a tiny tank like a 10 gal.
The smaller the tank, the easier it is to become acidic have a pH crash.
If your water is soft, with a low alkalinity, crushed coral would help for fish like desert gobies. For Apistos there would be little need for crushed coral because most prefer soft water, and more acidic conditions.
If your tap water has a high alkalinity already, and is hard, then an inert type sand may be adequate, for the gobies or any hard water fish.
Apistos might be out of their element if your water is especially hard.
If you have a low alkalinity, crushed coral sand will raise the pH a little, and it will help buffer the acidity from fish urine and decomposition by-products, which can by important in a tiny tank like a 10 gal.
The smaller the tank, the easier it is to become acidic have a pH crash.
If your water is soft, with a low alkalinity, crushed coral would help for fish like desert gobies. For Apistos there would be little need for crushed coral because most prefer soft water, and more acidic conditions.
If your tap water has a high alkalinity already, and is hard, then an inert type sand may be adequate, for the gobies or any hard water fish.
Apistos might be out of their element if your water is especially hard.