new tank/sand/gravel/ugf questions

[nugs]

First off, I'm new here, this is a great forum. Lots of great info in here.

After having to take my tank down a couple of years ago because I seem to have to move to a new house every year recently, I haven't had a tank set up for a couple years.

I'm at the point that I'm in a house for the long term now and I'm ready to set my tank back up for a couple cichlids.

I've always used a UGF with a powerhead and an HOB. After scanning thru the last 30 pages it seems that many people have gone away from a UGF. Although I have never had a problem with them, I'm ready to do the same as long as everything will work out.

I have a biowheel and a powerhead that I use with it as well. So, am I right to assume that I can just leave the UGF out and be alright with the HOB and the power head, correct?

Also, I usually use pea gravel, much cheaper than aquarium gravel. But I'd like to switch over to sand or crushed corel. Would it be ok to use about 2" of aragonite or crushed corel by themselves? mix them?

I'll be stacking limestone and slate rocks for caves and hiding places.

If aragonite or crushed corel would be fine by themselves, what is a good place to order online or a hardware type store that would carry them and be cheaper than my LSF? Any help would be appreciated. I haven't even started cycling yet so I have time for more research and info.

Thanks for any info!

[Harry Tolen]

A couple of questions:

01. What size is this tank?
02. What kind of cichlids were you thinking of keeping?

Thanks.

[nugs]

The tank is 29 gal.

I'm thinking either a couple labs, couple zebras, maybe 1 frontosa, or something like that. Basically the "normal" cichlids found at petsmart, walmart, or a small LSF. 2-3 fish max.

[daveedka]

I have a biowheel and a powerhead that I use with it as well. So, am I right to assume that I can just leave the UGF out and be alright with the HOB and the power head, correct?

This is correct, you could run with hob's and powerheads.
but I would reccomend otherwise. Cichlids are messy and UGF's in the right set-up and application are still one of the best things going. I would not reccomend standard UGF because there are a couple of far superior methods available, but if there weren't I'd still have my plates under my oscars.
This article covers a lot, including what I feel is the ultimate set-up for Cichlids (OERFUG) My experience with this set-up is short term at this point, but the source of the article (RTR) is not short term.:laugh: Either way, make your life easy and put all the filtration yo can stand on a Cichlid tank. There is a far cry between enough filtration, and an ideal set-up.
http://www.aaquaria.com/aquasource/rtrrfug.shtml




Also, I usually use pea gravel, much cheaper than aquarium gravel. But I'd like to switch over to sand or crushed corel. Would it be ok to use about 2" of aragonite or crushed corel by themselves? mix them?

Assuming from this you are going with africans, my experience is limited. The crushed coral may be a must, and will be more effective with a ugf circulating water through it, but at the same time, I can't say how well it will work. RTR may weigh in on this one with some experience though.

Every tank I have right now including the heavily planted ones are currently running OERFUG, There are some applications that I might not use one, but to me it's extra filtration that requires little maintenance and makes my tanks more stable. I can think of very few reasons to avoid them. Many Folks have had bad experiences, but I can assure you this was due to a lack of education and subsequent lack of maintenance, not to the abilities or design of the filter. They are easier to maintain than almost any type of filter made, but if not maintained they can be problematic just like any other filter.
Dave

[RTR]

I have used OERFUG for Rift Lake fish with aragonite to help support the pH/KH without any problems. I would not say that is was essential - that could depend on tap water parameters - I wanted the water a bit harder than tap and a bit higher pH. The RFUG was used to avoid anaerobic area in the substrate with the massive amounts of rockwork in those tanks, and did the job nicely for >>10 years. Again, perhaps not essential, but made life easier and removed one potential problem.