# CA Cichlids and Sand



## judej (Feb 5, 2010)

Hello All,
I currently have a 36Ã¢â‚¬Â


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I have about the same situation. I had 6 very young rainbow cichlids, 5 black skirt tetra and an albino BN with a sand bottom and lots of rock and wood. Over time nobody has dug much. 
The BN was out most of the time when young but now mostly stays in the log until something special happens. Older BN operate at night, I think. Frozen blood worms gets him out. I've read the BN need some wood. Amazing how many wood chips he has brought out of the log. I really thought I had cleaned it with a wire brush. 
Different SA/CA cichlids will do more digging. (eartheaters?) At different age and at breeding there will be different things also. 
Are you considering plants?


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## judej (Feb 5, 2010)

Thanks PfunMo,
I have a couple pieces of wood (grapewood I think) in the tank that the BN seems to like, although lately he has been hiding inside a fake log structure I have in there. I also have some fake plants and some clay pots Ã‚Â½ buried in the sand to create some territories for the cichlids. The BN has gotten a lot bigger than when I first had him, so maybe he is starting to like to hide more now. It just seemed like too much of a coincidence to coincide with the substrate change. Maybe IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢ll throw a chunk of sweet potato in to draw him out. That works great for my rubbernose pleco in another tank.

I would love to have live plants but I thought that the convict would just eat them or tear them apart. I love rainbows, I had a tank with 4 about 6 years ago and they had spectacular color/behavior and produced a couple batches of fry for me. If I ever see them for sale again I might not be able to resist picking at least one up.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

You know grapewood isn't really good for fish.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

aquariam said:


> You know grapewood isn't really good for fish.


That seems quite a simple statement but I have to admit I've never heard it. Can you give some more info on why/ why not? I've never noticed or looked for grapewood and know nothing of it but maybe there is something we all need to know???? My first thought would be that it would need to be treated much as any other item placed in a tank. Before I decide what it would do I would have to know what the tank and water are where it was to be used. Different things work in different tanks. Have you had problems with grapewood?


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## aussy612 (Jan 31, 2009)

My jags only dig out their spawning pits, not much else.


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## judej (Feb 5, 2010)

I've heard people say that grapewood can breakdown and protenitally get moldy. I have never seen this problem with any of the wood in my tank. Although I have always had a pleco that liked wood, such as a Clown or Bristlenose pleco. Maybe that has helped keep the wood clean.
Are there any other concerns that I am not aware of?


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

When speaking of grapewood, is it the "trunk" of grape plants? I can see that might have a lot of character that might appeal to some. I would think there would be some chance of it breaking down over time, but that would be true of almost any plant material. I'm told that cedar has too much oil and can't be used but it doesn't hold true with what I use. I find a lot of the worries we have about what works or doesn't can vary due to all kinds of differences in our tanks. I have alkaline water which is very hard and so has tremendous buffering ability. I can put many kinds of wood in that might lower the PH in water with less buffering qualities. I find many of the rules are just more what one person found that he believes rather than what may or may not work in another tank in another part of the world.


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## jeaninel (Nov 1, 2009)

Your Firemouths will probably enjoy sifting through the sand. Mine used to spit it everywhere. It was kind of amusing to watch but also kind of a pain because it would get all over the driftwood and rocks.


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## judej (Feb 5, 2010)

The FM's definately like to sift through and spit out the sand. Sometimes they will carry it all the way to the top of the tank and spit it out there. Fun to watch. I was watching my Convict and this afternoon she was "shaking her belly" down in the sand and then looking through all the sand she kicked up.


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## Leucistic Guy (Jul 8, 2009)

Grape wood is a "soft wood".
It doesn't last long & can foul the water.
Most wood suitable for aquarium use is hardwood.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Leucistic Guy said:


> Grape wood is a "soft wood".
> It doesn't last long & can foul the water.
> Most wood suitable for aquarium use is hardwood.


That's where I feel some of the "standard" information begins to go astray. Cedar is not considered hardwood by any standard definition I've seen but I find it works quite well in my tanks. My cedar is a softwood that has dried totally to the point that it is far harder than most hardwoods like oak,hickory or walnut.


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## Leucistic Guy (Jul 8, 2009)

Cedar has a natural resin that deters insect & makes it water resistant.
Over time this resin can leach into your water & possible poison your fish, shrimp,etc.

You know that smell you smell when your around a Cedar tree, thats the stuff that can do harm.
Why do you think they make pet bed out of cedar chips?
The resin keeps away insects like flees,tick,etc.
I'd be careful, & I wouldn't recommend others to try using cedar.



PfunMo said:


> Leucistic Guy said:
> 
> 
> > Grape wood is a "soft wood".
> ...


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## jeaninel (Nov 1, 2009)

Just wondering, is manzanita ok in aquariums?


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## Leucistic Guy (Jul 8, 2009)

jeaninel said:


> Just wondering, is manzanita ok in aquariums?


It's one of the best!!!
It's has nice knots like grapewood does & holds up almost for the life of your tank unless you have a wood eating pleco.


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## jeaninel (Nov 1, 2009)

Thanks. That's good to know. I've been looking for some branchy type wood and Manzanita has always caught my eye.


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## Bkeen (Mar 13, 2009)

PFS+manzanita+plants= :thumb:

I recently changed to pool filter sand in my 46 gallon and just got the fish for it. The HRP's don't really seem to dig around in it much. I've had Geos and they sift sand almost constantly and are fun to watch.


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