Substrate For Africans??

[Pisidan]

What is a good cheap substrate for African cichlids..I have 3 Yellow Labs and want them to be happy they r housed in a 20 gallon right now but I will be putting them inot a 40 very soon! What would you suggest for substrate..something thats not to expensive?

[aidensmomma2000]

Well, its not cheap exactly but I bough a bag of crushed coral from Big Als for 20$, and it keeps the ph high. All the fishies were pretty happy with it  

[james]

Hi
The cheapest substrate for African Cichlids is just plain play sand . Especially cichl;ids that like to dig. You can buy  a 20 kg bag for a couple of bucks
James

[aidensmomma2000]

What helps keep the ph high for them? I used a buffer to keep the ph down in my discus tank, do peopleuse buffers to keep the ph up? :?:

[artw]

I use baking soda and epsom salt.

[328iGuy]

If you use sand, I suggest hitting up a Pool/Spa store around Ottawa and buy a bag of "Pool Filter Sand" for around $70, they come in about 50lb bags.  This is what I am currently using in my 55 gallon tank with my Africans.

Once you get the bag you need to THROUGHLY clean the sand in a bucket, running water into the bucket and turning the sand with youre hands, depends on the company, some is pretty clean form the get go, pool filter sand as a whole is generally fairly clean but you still need to throughly clean it.

I must say though, it was very cheap and effective, I love it and so do my fish as they like to dig and scoop it up with there mouth and spit it out.

[Pisidan]

Well i think I will use Play sand 4.97 for 20 kg of it lots of it and cheap to boot lol now I just have to find a way to get it LOL carrying 40 lbs of sand on the bus is really not an option for me LOL

[328iGuy]

Well play sand you are going to have a lot more work ahead of you for cleaning thats for sure.  

[james]

Here is some info on using sand
Sand


An Article by Frank Panis
One very crucial step in the decorating process of our cichlid tank is choosing the correct bottom material. Many new people to the cichlid keeping hobby have no real idea what to use as substrate and let themselves guide by appearance and alleged qualities. At best, they choose naturally looking grey-brown small gravel that's sold at a reasonable price by the local fish store (LFS). Other frequently sold materials are:
*Fancy black or bright white gravel/sand. Mostly bought out of ignorance and just for the 'great' look.
*Special African cichlid pacific gravel mixes, that are heavily overpriced and sold as the nec plus ultra to people who believe that the most expensive stuff is the absolute best.
*Crushed coral, originally used in reef tanks and very popular in the US, where it's often (mis)used in cichlid tanks because of its reputation of maintaining a high pH. The only good way to use this material, is putting it in an external canister where it is in the path of the water, thus being much more effective. Also a more reliable way of maintaining a high 'rift lake' pH is adding baking soda (NaHCO3) with each water change.
*Colored gravel, luckily very rarely used, guarantees a cheap disco effect.  

Construction sand in my tank, bought in a DIY shop for only 2€/50Kg or about 2$/100lbs.

But do we need all these prewashed prepackaged and cleverly marketed materials? If you want to mimic the lake's biotope as close as possible, the answer is NO. You don't even have to travel to Lake Malawi to see what can be used as a substrate. Just take a look at the underwater pictures in Ad Konings books to see what our cichlids really need: ordinary cheap SAND!!! The fish in the lake are closely adapted to this specific substrate for collecting food and breeding, a result of an evolution of millions of years, where only the fittest and best-adapted cichlids survived periods of severe food shortage. Decorating your tank with sand simply helps bringing out their most natural behaviour, a feast for the hobbyist's eye.
Food: Aulonocara's “listen” to the bottom with the enlarged senses on their head, the “aulos”. When a prey moves, the Aulonocara localizes this, using the “aulos” like a sonar and then dives into the sand grabbing the invertebrate or crustacean. Other fish that use the sand are (taenio)Lethrinops sp., small Mylochromis sp. and Fossorochromis rostratus which dive into the sand, take a bite of it and sift it through their gills for insect larva, invertebrates or crustaceans.

Breeding and nest building: Have you ever seen the pictures of male Malawi cichlids above their sand nest? Fossorochromis rostratus and (taenio)Lethrinops build a huge crater with a diameter of up to 2.5m. This can’t  be displayed in our aquariums which are obviously too small for that. Some Mylochromis sp. and Nyassachromis sp. build smaller craters. In the middle of that crater you will only find fine sand which cannot be confused with eggs. The larger gravel is put away to the edge and this is what makes the circle look like a crater. Some other species which need less space to exhibit their natural behavior like Protomelas, Copadichromis, Otopharynx, Cyrtocara or Sciaenochromis also pay much attention to their nest: the coarse material (which might be confusing for the female since it resembles eggs) is removed until only fine sand remains. I’ve also seen the nest building of the Copadichromis Borleyi which carries the fine sand up on a rock where it forms a thin breeding carpet. In a 'gravel only' tank these cichlids dig until they reach the glass bottom, simply because the gravel is too large, thus egg confusing.

Hiding: Some sand-dwelling cichlids like Fossorochromis rostratus and Lethrinops sp. have developed a successful surviving strategy. They dive in the sand quick as lightning when they feel threatened (catch or net them). Shortly after, they come out and swim as if nothing happened. Can you imagine what would happen when such a fish would like to hide under gravel? It could get injured. Never try this for fun, as it is stressing for the fish.


Not exactly the sharpest picture around, but clearly showing the C. azureus bulldozing the sand for his nest in the back of my tank.


One of the other males that also has built a magnificent nest in the middle of my 3000L tank.

What kind of sand should we use? The cichlids are actually too forgiving as they try to make the best of all bottom materials they're offered, but it’s better to avoid bright white material as it tends to give the cichlids a washed out look. A greyish and light brown substrate does just fine. Be sure to use sand with a good variation in grain size, so it won't compact. I bought construction sand, actually plain river sand, which is sold in a DIY shop for only 2€/50Kg or about 2$/100lbs. This material should be washed thoroughly to remove the clouding dust and contamination, just like all aquarium decoration. If you want to be sure the sand is disinfected you can always boil it, so you’re also sure all harmful soluble parts are gone.

Lethrinops microstoma using the sand to clear its gills.

The maintenance is not that difficult but takes a little time. You can perform a partial cleaning with every waterchange.
This way you reduce the piling up dirt load and prevent the water from getting a yellowish color through dissolved waste, which results in a less fast saturation of activated coal.
You only need one or more large buckets and a garden hose. The sand near the window is removed together with dirt in the first filter compartment where the most detritus settles down. Also places with stagnating water flow, mostly depressions near rocks, need to be cleaned. After this the glasses are cleaned. The buckets are moved to a place where you can rinse it safely without flooding the house. Also pay attention not to hurt your back beause such a bucket weighs a lot! I'm aware that not everyone has such a monster aquarium but I use a pump to change the water. The outlet of it develops enough pressure to rinse the sand in the buckets. This rinsing is repeated until no more waste comes off and when finished the sand can be put back in the aquarium before it's filled again.


Siphoning the sand from the front glass makes it easier to clean: sand won't get picked up and can't scratch and damage the window. The fish are attracted through the stirred sand probably thinking there is something to eat. A large sustainable pump to change the water.




You'll be amazed what dirt comes off every week.  
Although one can never come up with "defaults" still it's recommended that you use plain river sand for all your African Rift Lake Cichlid tanks. The bottom line is: The more your aquarium resembles the lake, the more you get rewarded with the natural behaviour of the amazing Malawi cichlids, which is always a worthy spectacle.  
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[Pisidan]

Great thanxs for the article..got the playsand and man what a B**ch to clean LOL..but it is finally done and in looks good!! Keep ya posted on how the fishies like it...when I get my 40 gallon I will be using crushed coral I think no way im washing that much sand again took forever LOL!!

[aidensmomma2000]

you have to wash the coral too, but I suspect its not as bad. I was a dork and didnt wash the coral before filling my tank.  Save yourself some time and rince it first LOL! I had to empty the tank and re fill it  :roll:

[Pisidan]

I always wash all my substrate..but sand man it takes forever to get it clean and little particles get all over...I do not like it all no sir lol!!

[saltydog]

I have found that its not absolutely necessary to wash any substrate. I lay a slab of slate or a piece of glass over one area of the new substrate (or even float a section of  a newspaper on top)  & fill the tank at that spot so as not to disturb the gravel beneath. The water will usually be only mildly cloudy as a result of this practice. Then I exercise patience & wait for the suspended matter to settle out and the mechanical filter to do its work. After a couple of days, at most, the water is crystal clear!

If you prewash you will have less cloudiness (but more work!). In the case of an aragonite or crushed coral substrate you will have removed & thrown away the most soluable "water conditioner" that you paid for.

I have a few observations about a sand substrate:
1) Detritus (fish crap) does not settle into it. It stays on top & is highly visible. Therefore you will need a lot of water movement & a powerful mechanical filter to keep your tank looking clean. In particular, detritus from a pleco or certain large fish (Eg. Oscars) will be very much in evidence.

2) If you use a python to remedy the above problem you will find it difficulty to remove the detritus without sucking an appreciable amount of sand from your tank as well.

3) Your filter input must be a few inches up from the bottom so your filter does not suck any sand up into it. Otherwise, you may get some nasty noises from the impeller section & your filter will have to be disassembled & cleaned each time.

4) Because some fish may burrow into it, you may find that plants are uprooted. Or you may have the opposite problem. Because substrate movers find it so easy to move, you may find that plants are readily buried under the sand.

In conclusion, I like a sand substrate in some of my tanks. However, it is my opinion that it is the most difficult of any substrate to maintain. The easiet is a shallow layer of medium-sized, smooth "river washed" stone (pebbles).  The fish can't move it much, detritus 'hides' easily in it  & it is almost as easy to vacuum effectively as a bare bottom tank. If you want to grow plants you can try putting a layer of these pebbles on top of sand or gravel. That works too.

[artw]

Hey 328 where exactly did you get the pool filter sand?
(store name, brand name of sand).
I have been trying to find this for years.
Can you take a photo of your tank with same?

[328iGuy]

artw

I picked up the PFS at a store in Bells Corners about 2 months ago, I can't remember the name but it is in the same plaza as Chuck Browns golf, its in the "White Rose Plaza" and it cost me $7/bag (each bag is 50lbs).

[Evan]

328 .. nice setup.  I am going to have to give that a try.

I should probably get the tank to put it in first though.

[328iGuy]

Hey

Thanks, I will post some more pictures shortly.

Do you not currently already have Cichlids?  What kind/fish?

What size of tank do you plan on populating?

[artw]

hurmm looks a lot like silica sand.
the pool filter sand I saw on the internet was a larger diameter (well about 5mm) and brown

[328iGuy]

Most pool filter sand is like a silica.  My sand is a brownish tinge, it was the fact that I used a flash by mistake.  I will try and get a better shot for you soon!

[Evan]

I have a couple of Lombardoi (sp)  I have had them for quite a while.  I just got them at an LFS.  

1 Jack Dempsey.  I really like this fish.  


I have a couple Discus. They live by themselves.


I have a 75 Gallon since Nov.  So far there are four small Angels, two catfish and a pleco.   There are also a few small tetras.  
There are quite  a few plants.  It is my first attempt at plants, so they are OK but need a lot of work.


I have some clown loaches for this tank but they are still in quarantine.

I want to get a 55 gallon, but I have a space issue.  I would like to put Africans in this but I also want more Discus so I have  to make that decision.