# gravel vs sand african cichlids



## allie1025 (Jan 2, 2013)

i used to keep my malawi's with a gravel substrate. i would let the females spit fry in the tank. seemed a few would survive every time. now that i have switched the substrate to sand the babies don't seem to survive any longer. (this past week i added a bunch of seashells) hoping that will give babies some extra hiding spots.


----------



## allie1025 (Jan 2, 2013)

other question i have is i have 6 small bn plecos and 2 large common plecos in a 55g angelfish tank. i was keeping the bn plecos in that tank because they are super small right now. do you think the big common plecos will hurt the youngsters? i have 5 fish tanks total smallest are 55g biggest 125g. the angel tank is the calmest option for the bn plecos.


----------



## allie1025 (Jan 2, 2013)

other thing that crosses my mind. hikari algae wafers are produced in japan. the ingredient list for them seems very good for plecos but, do you think the food has radioactive issues because of the meltdown over there?


----------



## Blooper01 (Mar 1, 2013)

Hi, Allie, this one is on Gravel vs Sand. I used Sand at first when I had just a couple of tanks. Then switched to common pet store grape & pea gravel. Now that I am consolidating tanks, I am testing sand again. It certainly looks more professional. 
Your observation on Mbuna fry survival rates being lower for sand is fascinating. Do you have access in Iowa to Texas Holey Rock or something like it? If you find one that is extremely porous (with many small holes the babies can get into), that could make a dramatic difference in fry survival --(I have found these small-holed rocks contribute to overpopulation!). Good luck.


----------



## m1ke715m (Jul 26, 2012)

i have sand in 16 tanks and one bare bottom.. gravel is a pain it takes forever to vaccuum it.. it gets super dirty and traps waste.. if you want something to increase the chances of your fry surviving buy some texas holey rock with small holes.. some will live.. gravel is never a good option for africans imo

there are american manufacturers that make algae wafers.. plus no salt french cut green beans are a good alternative.. i dont even feed my plecos algae wafers anymore


----------



## allie1025 (Jan 2, 2013)

there may be a fish store locally that carries texas holey rock. otherwise i will have to order it off the net. i'm going there later today anyway so i will look for it. so green beans cut no salt have everything they need. sounds cheaper than buying wafers.


----------



## sumthinfishy (Jan 26, 2013)

i had my bushy noses in with a large common also when the BNs were small and common was big. i had no issues. the BNs are now adults and they still all live together in my 92 corner with angels and clown loaches


----------



## allie1025 (Jan 2, 2013)

sumthinfishy said:


> i had my bushy noses in with a large common also when the BNs were small and common was big. i had no issues. the BNs are now adults and they still all live together in my 92 corner with angels and clown loaches


awesome  i should have 6 in the tank but they are hard to find so i just assume all 6 are alive yet


----------



## m1ke715m (Jul 26, 2012)

i like no salt french cut green beans cuz you throw them in and they get eaten.. even the skin.. if you buy the regular cut they arent shredded and theres less meat surface area.. i just think the french cut get eaten quicker and theres less of the beans in them.. they dont eat the beans its weird.. you can also blanch zuchinni and weight it down and they love that.. they dont eat the skin thou.. i also feed mine whatever flake im feeding that day.. i feed a variety of flakes and pellets and i buy food off a guy that dehydrates his own crumbles really good stuff.. so like one week ill feed them whatever flake im feeding that day and the spirulina crumbles and then the week after that ill open a can of green beans and use that till its gone.. i have 2 breeding colonies of bn.. if i notice theres still green beans in the tank the next day i just skip a day of feeding.. i have the algae wafers im just not a fan of them.. they will eat them just not as voraciously as other stuff


----------



## allie1025 (Jan 2, 2013)

i moved a couple rocks with yucky algae to my tank with the bn pleco in it to clean it up and anyway i moved a sea shell and an electric yellow baby popped out so i think this may work well. i put alot of shells in the tank and they should be able to be used as little homes for the fry


----------



## Sirian (Feb 16, 2013)

I would say sand is the way to go, and I agree with gravel holding more waste. African Cichlids love to dig and sand is their natural environment. Not to mention if you get a sand with a pH buffer it's beneficial as well. Crushed coral or one of the speciality made ones for Africans will work.


----------



## mgreen44 (Dec 27, 2011)

There are some sands that are more coarse if you dont want to worrie about sucking out the fine sand when cleaning. I have switched 4 of my 5 tanks to sand and will switch the last when I can. Just used pool filter sand in my 180 and the price is alot better if you are doing a large tank.


----------



## iridextr (Feb 8, 2013)

Sand is the way to go. All the waste doesn't sink to the bottom and stay there, it remains on top of the sand. And if you have a powerhead (you should, even a small one is better than none), it will move the waste to a few certain areas of the tank making your cleaning a LOT easier.


----------



## m1ke715m (Jul 26, 2012)

i dont even vaccuum poop in most tanks... only a few where its problematic like ancistrus breeding tanks and 2 other tanks i have that pile up with alot of poop... its not necesary if you have sand, if you are doing routine water changes thats all that matters as far as keeping nitrates down


----------



## shockdoc (Feb 18, 2013)

^^^^ What he said. I changed my tank over to sand from grape and pea gravel 2 weeks ago. Cut my cleaning time in 1/8 and the tank stays spotless. Despite my best efforts, I never could keep the gravel clean and it started leading to health issues with the fish (lost a total of 3). Since the switch they've been healthy and I've not once had to siphon poo. It all collects below the filter intake, and as they swim gets sucked in. Self-cleaning!


----------



## allie1025 (Jan 2, 2013)

well anyway like i said my african tanks have sand now. but when they were gravel i had higher success rates with the fry surviving. only thing i can figure is it was easier for them to hide with gravel. i recently added a bunch of seashells so i think that will give the babies lots of new options. i already found a yellow lab hiding in them.


----------



## Brad Mc (Oct 26, 2006)

M1ke,I found just the opposite.My plecos eat the skin of the zucchini and the cichlids eat the inside till it looks like a doughnut hole.


----------



## m1ke715m (Jul 26, 2012)

you must have mbuna.. peacocks and haps dont bother..


----------



## Brad Mc (Oct 26, 2006)

I have all three.The peacocks don't touch it but the haps and yellow labs destroy it.


----------



## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

And if you can't get holey rock, you can use a small pile of rocks of most any kind for a fry shelter.


----------



## allie1025 (Jan 2, 2013)

vann59 said:


> And if you can't get holey rock, you can use a small pile of rocks of most any kind for a fry shelter.


sort of like the seashells i'm using


----------



## allie1025 (Jan 2, 2013)

i'm done talking about it i know what worked best for me.


----------

