Substrate for cichlid tank. Sand vs Gravel (crushed coral)

[KarEn]

Hello all,

It's been a while. Now I am back with a couple of questions.
I sold my both tanks. I had 29 gallon Malawi tank and 33 gallon tropical. Just didn't have enough space for too many tanks in my apartment, as I wanted to get a bigger tank. So my dream came true, and I recently purchased a 75 gallon tank with the OAK stand, and a canopy with the light fixture. Many thanks to Max from Montreal who offered his help in buying and delivering this tank to me from Montreal. Yes, he is a great guy, and a good friend.
I paid for that tank just $425 tax in. It's a Perfecto Aquarium.
Anyways, I have no fish at the moment, and it drives me nuts, as I can't come home and see no fish...

Questions:
1) The stand looks solid, but I didn't see any nails in the wooden construction. Just wooden staples. Will I need to reinforce the stand or it should be ok? I am a bit confused, as that's the way it was designed by the manufacturer, and I would like to believe that there won't be any problems, especially, that the Perfecto gave 20 years warranty on this kit.
Does anyone have any experience with this?
Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

2) Substrate. Sand or gravel? I used to have crushed coral as a substrate, but I would like to hear some more opinions, where I should stick to it again, and spend a fortune on it, or I can use sand? I never had any experience with the sand, so I would like to get some feedback from people who used/use it.

I have two Eheim filters. 2213 and 2215. These filters should be more than enough for this tank. The only concern is - will they suck in the sand and clog the filter media?

3) Heater. I had Ebo-Jager heater in my 29 gal tank. Now I will probably have buy a new one, as I sold that one with the 29 gal tank. Should I stick to Ebo-Jager or I can use something else?
I'd prefer fully submersible heater.

My budget is extremely low, actually, even worse than that  :oops: , but I can't live without fish, and I'm ready to do something about that.

Yes, I am planning on keeping 5 to 10 cichlids in this tank. I might go for Frontoza Mpimbwe Blues or any of the following:
-Tropheus moorii at Moliro
-Tropheus sp. Doubleblot at Bulu Point
-Tropheus brichardi Limetop at Mkinga
-Tropheus moorii red namansi, south of Kipili
-Tropheus sp. mpimbwe red cheek at Cape Mpimbwe
-Tropheus sp. doubleblot

All of these fish are nice, and I will probably think twice before spending any money on them, but the main point is that I am setting up this tank for cichlids.

Thank you in advance. Any comments are very much appreciated.
Kindest regards,
KarEn aKa Cichlidgeek

[KarEn]

Sorry for typing errors. :shock:  Was too late last night, and was too tored. :oops:

[KarEn]

tored? What is that???
tIred.
Geesh...what's happening with me? :roll:

[KarEn]

Art,

Thanks a lot for your comments and advice.

Re: the stand - yes, it's a brand new stand. Actually, the whole kit is brand new. It's a glass tank, glass canopy with the light fixture, and the wooden stand. All brand new by Perfecto Aquarium.

re: sand - alright. you bet. I'm not gonna go for sand. Lot's of people say it's nice, but pain in the neck, so I'll pass. I don't want to go with crushed coral either. Fed up with white substrate. At the same time I don't really like black. Such a pest, eh?  :oops:

CRLCA is the place where I'm planning to get my fish from. I'll go for wild ones this time. A bit more $$$, but more fun.

Art, thanks again.

[KarEn]

Another question is:
I got a 40W bulb with this kit. Would that be good enough or I should look into getting a second fixture?

Also, plants. What are the best plants for cichlids? Java Moss? Anything else? I kept lot's of plants with my cichlids, but they were all eaten. :?

[dpatte]

by the way, I think you can edit your own messages even after you post them - just go to the message and click the 'edit ' button  :idea:

[Troy]

KarEn: plants with  cichlids. Try Anubias spp in a pot with large pebbles to discourage digging. Some" mother plants" (large ones) come in a plastic pot that are great. You just have to drop them in the tank and they are ready to go. The cichlids will not eat them. You could fasten them to rocks if you want also. hope this helps..... Troy.