# Substrate Opinion



## MarkyMark75 (Apr 24, 2012)

Hello,
I am thinking of getting a 120 gal Afrcian Cichlid Tank:
I have been given conflicting info at my local pet store:
Most ppl state you need either crushed coral or African Cichlid substrate to raise the PH.

One keeper told me that crushed coral is BS and does nothing, and that Black Gravel is better b/c it shows off the colours of the fish more.
He stated that the tanks in the store don't even half crushed coral, but black gravel to make the fish more attractive and they do just fine.

Thoughts on just using black gravel?


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## AulonoKarl (Mar 9, 2012)

My LFS sold me a very expensive bottle of seachem malawi buffer when I bought my first african cichlids. I was told they would die instantly if I didn't put it in my tank. :lol: 
Come to find out, the PH itself isn't really that important. You just want a stable PH. I stopped using that buffer after I did some reading and nothing catastrophic happened.

You can use any substrate you want, IMO.


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## sandandrocks (Apr 3, 2012)

"Almost" any substrate would work as long as your PH is stable as mentioned above. Your cichlids will adjust and they "shouldn't" die (as long as there isn't a significant change in PH level). Black sand will make your cichlids darker while lighter sand will make them lighter.

I've seen cichlids change color drastically after switching sand (my friend and i switch fish all the time he has black sand and i have white). IMO white brings out my cichlid's color more than black. But the choice is yours to make.


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## frank1rizzo (Mar 14, 2005)

The best color is totally dependant on the variant of fish.

My fronts look best over black, my trophs look much better over white.

What type of fish do you have?


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

I just redid my tank from PFS which was more beige to a totally black sand. I like the black better. You can see mine in my sig line. As for buffering...you would do better if you need raise in kH to put it in your filter. I would not worry about buffering unless you know what your kH/pH of your tap water. Your tap may be fine and you may not need to add anything....my tap water is very hard so I don't need to add anything.


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## MarkyMark75 (Apr 24, 2012)

Thank you for the input.
I actually do not have the fish or the tank yet.
I am doing my research before I buy it.
It will be a 120 gal. mixed with Africans from different rivers.


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## zquattrucci (Apr 25, 2012)

lol brings a funny point my girls thought it would be cute to mix my substrait and so now i have pink blue green all the fricking colors the pet store has to offer in my tank fish are loving it and so do thhe girls so i am going to add path ways or what look like path ways around my tank with black sand you guys think i should us white also idk just a hodg podg of colors now  cant be mad the fish dident seem to knotice


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Water treatment experts agree that any calcium in a buffering substrate could not possibly dissolve fast enough (especially changing 50% of the water weekly) to make enough of a difference. Put crushed coral in your filter in place of part of the media if you want to try for a natural buffer...at least the water is forced to pass through the material at a faster rate.


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## littleolme (Nov 1, 2011)

A wise man once said that it's prudent to be leary of advice taken from someone who can profit off the advice given.

You've come to the right place to ask questions. While opinions here will vary, there is a lot of knowledge and experience to draw from without being concerned about personal gain.

I'm sending you a pm with some local info, hope it helps.


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## sandandrocks (Apr 3, 2012)

littleolme said:


> A wise man once said that it's prudent to be leary of advice taken from someone who can profit off the advice given.
> 
> You've come to the right place to ask questions. While opinions here will vary, there is a lot of knowledge and experience to draw from without being concerned about personal gain.
> 
> I'm sending you a pm with some local info, hope it helps.


 :thumb:


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## BillD (May 17, 2005)

Since the original poster claims a Toronto location, there are lots of people using Lake Ontario water, throughout the GTA without doing anything to the water, as it works fine as comes from the tap. So, use whatever substrate you like. Personally, I am partial to darker substrates as they look more natural than white.


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## JSI (Feb 27, 2007)

BillD said:


> Since the original poster claims a Toronto location, there are lots of people using Lake Ontario water, throughout the GTA without doing anything to the water, as it works fine as comes from the tap.


Yep.


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## mbargas (Apr 19, 2009)

I personally prefer the appearance of light colored sand or gravel. I am currently using fine aragonite which is almost white in color. I also have rooted plants (jungle val) growing in it. I was considering using one of those clay-based substrates (flourite) for more optimal plant growth, but I din't want to darken the substrate.

Does anyone know of a light-colored clay substrate?


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## vann59 (Jun 20, 2011)

Clay will cloud your water.

One other consideration on substrate color is lighting. Darker means you need more light, so that's a personal choice again. As for gravel, it's harder to clean than sand, since stuff gets into it instead of staying on top.


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