Substrate depth???

Spinner_01

Spinner_01

AC Members
Oct 16, 2007
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The edge of nowhere
I've setup and am now cycling my first cichlid tank and stumbled across another site that recommends a max substrate depth of 1/4" or no substrate at all. Is this accurate?? Will my deeper sand cause problems? if so what problems??

Thanks in advance,

Spinner
 
I have never heard of 1/4 in max. I have approx 2 inches in each of my cichlid tanks and some have 3". I suggest you do what you feel is the most appealing to you. I have 4 different kinds of Africans as well as some SA/CA. BTW - plants + Cichlids = a mess. They will either move them, eat them, or play with them as well as dig around the roots.

I wonder if you mis-read and they meant 1 - 4 inches???
 
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At least 2 to 2 1/2 inches is OK, IMO.
 
Like excuzzzeme said its your discretion on how much sand you want mine are at 3" your main issue would be that when your doing water changes you stir up the sand to prevent dead spots and waste accumulation if not you may have ammonia issues and or deadly gases from dead spots..

All is needed to do is take a long wooden cooking spoon to stir up or you could just use your siphon tube.. just be careful not to suck up the sand when doing water changes..
 
Spinner_01 said:
Nope, I went back to the site and checked it reads 1/4", Anyway I've got 2 1/2 -3" in my tank now so i'll just keep it that way. Thanks again for the replys.
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its up to you and so long as you have good filtration you should be ok.

dead spot may be an issue but just hope your fish and cats? will move the sand around looking for food etc. and mix it up now and then when the fish are hungry and let them eat what comes out. like algea etc.

mine is about 3-4 inches as i thought that would be a good ammount to use for my rockwork.

by having the depth i have the rocks in the sand and not pressed onto the glass until the fish and cats slowly move sand and then the pressue on the glas is applied slowly and i hope then the glas will be ok with the weight.
 
Aaron89 said:
by having the depth i have the rocks in the sand and not pressed onto the glass until the fish and cats slowly move sand and then the pressue on the glas is applied slowly and i hope then the glas will be ok with the weight.
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For that reason, you should put an egg crate on the tank's glass bottom, stack the rocks directly over the egg crate and then add the sand or substrate to be used.
 
what a carboard egg crate?
 
Just plain egg crate it should be made of hard plastic do not use cardboard egg crate its not the same.. you may be able to find it at a local hardware store..
 
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