Sand in my 150 cichlid setup.

[tmixon_77539]

I currently have gravel in my 150 and am looking to change the decor. I have never used sand and was wondering if it is more of a pain than what it's worth. I would love to go with a white sand. Not sure if it matters what species I have but I have a large Oscar, 2 large albino catfish, 2 african cichlids and 2 parrots. My africans seem to bury in the gravel under my huge white holy rock that I have in my tank. I have an FX5 canister filter on my setup. Would sand cause any filtration problems? Would I need to change any of the media in my filter to go with the sand? I have done some research on using sand, but nothing tells me about any of the following questions. Thanks for any advice.

[freespool]

Sand is my prefered choise since I started using it. I also have an FX5. People will tell you the sand will hurt the FX5, but as long as you don't put the pickup on the very bottom to suck up sand you should be fine.

[tmixon_77539]

I have the pickup close to the bottom, but I can cut it off and shorten it, that wont be a problem. Any idea where I can get the sand? I mean ya I can go get some from a landscaping place, but I would like to find the white sand without paying an arm and a leg at the lps. As far as cleaning it, is it easier to clean than gravel? Thanks

[freespool]

easy to clean. I get mine at a pool supply store 50lbs for about $10. as far as pure white that is hard to find. mine is kindof a tan color. this looks more natural to me also. the only natural while sand I know of is back home in FL.

[tmixon_77539]

Well pooh, I dam sure ain't drivin down to florida for sand lol. Thanks for the help, I will either settle for another color or pay out the wazoo for white sand I am sure.

[tmixon_77539]

Another quick question, how deep should the sand be? I was thinking less than 2'' thick.

[freespool]

personal prefference. just remember that fish dig, so make sure any rocks are down before the sand or they could fall over if stacked and the sand moved from under them. The fish will move the sand where they want it. I like about 2-3 inches, but like I said the fish move it around and they like to dig sand more than rocks.

[tbui1178]

+1 on Leslie PFS.

I've heard some people using the white sand blasting sand. I would tend to stay away from anything too fine as it will get sucked up in your filter and cause headaches down the road. I've been using PFS for awhile and have not had any problems.

[tmixon_77539]

Ok, I have no idea what PFS is lol. How fine is too fine? Is play sand ok? I would like to go with white or black sand or substrate. As I have a lot of yellow fish and would like to broaden the color scheme as far as my fish go. I have thought about purchasing some peacocks and other bright colored cichlids, I just have to rehome my oscar and cats first. I think the blues and yellows show up better on black. What do you think? If I did go with black what would be the name of it called? Black sand?

[supadave]

PFS stands for "Pool Filter Sand" . You can go to any Pool Supply store...like Leslie's and find it . Just ask them for Pool Filter Sand and they will direct to the shelf or pallet where they keep it . The bags are 50lbs. and cost about $10.00 . Depending on how deep of a sand bed that you want...you will need at least two bags for a 6' tank . This will give you about an 1" to 1.5" sand bed . (Depending upon how many rocks you have in the tank.) I have seen people use Play Sand before but it is extremely light in weight and will cloud the tank each time it's stirred up . Pool Filter Sand on the other hand....is heavier and will not cloud the tank or leave a bunch of suspended particles . You can grab a handful of Pool Filter Sand and drop it in a tank and every particle of it will immediately sink to the bottom . I've been using Pool Filter Sand for years and will never use gravel again .

[electricblue]

+1.... I just made the switch from gravel to sand and my tank looks alto better. I used leslie's pfs and just rinsed out the dust real good, as soon as i dropped it in the tank it sunk. one bag was enough for my 75 gallon and the cichlids really seem to be enjoying it.

[tbui1178]

Yea, why don't you give PFS a try and if you don't like it - look for white/black sand. It's relatively cheap for 2 bags of it and you could have instant gratification. :)

[Zebvance]

I also used PFS but it was some off brand that the local pool supply carried. I will tell u that it is more of a pain to vac, and the bigger the grain of the sand the better you fx5 will bee. It will be heavier and less likely to get kicked up and sucked into the fx5.

With all of that said I LOVE the look of sand better. My second choice would be large river rok or the Grey/black rock river pebbles in alot of the fish gallery tanks. Im looking to replace the grave in my 46 gallon with that stuff.

[tmixon_77539]

Ok great, ya I think the sand looks awesome. I have HUGE holy white rock in my tank for decoration and I would say they weigh 30+ lbs a piece and I have 3 of them. Will this be a problem with the sand? I read on a website where I should put the rocks in then sand around it so I am careful that fish dont get underneath. I am thinking about going with black sand if there is such a thing. If so, would Fish Gallery or some other pet store carry black sand? Thanks

[supadave]

You can get sand in a black color . Most of your local fish stores will carry CaribSea Tahitian Moon Sand . It is jet black and looks great . I have used black sand before and the only thing that I didn't like about it is the fact that all of the fish that I placed in that tank darken up considerably . I even tried CaribSea Cichlid Sand which is black and white sand mix....and my Ikola trophs color was muddy looking . I have recently changed the Ikola tank to pool filter sand and it is like night and day . The yellow bars on the Ikola are super bright now . Actually , the only fish that I found that looks great on black sand are Frontosa .

Btw.....heres a link to the CaribSea Black Tahitian Moon Sand .

CaribSea Black Tahitian Moon Sand