I just set up a 55 gallon tank a about a month and a have ago and I have cichlids in there. I put sand in the tank, because I like the way it looks. But the bad thing is you can really see the fish poo. I was wondering if there are any bottom dwellers that would eat most of the poo up off the sand?
What should I get?
- Thread starter Raska
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Lupin
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- Sep 21, 2006
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- Paul
this is why i swapped back to gravel after a very short attempt at sand. gravel is so much easier to keep clean looking and vac during changes. you do get the knack of hovering the syphon just over the sand so it only picks up the waste and not the sand but i found it too tedious and swapped back to gravel after just a few weeks.
You could get a tubifex worm infestation... they will eat the poo! 
Live food for the fish too!
Of course- they would look worse than the poo and are harder to vacuum up.
I have sand in my 55g I really don't have a poo problem... my sand doesn't look dirty- but I have small fish, there is only one over 2½ inches at the mo- they all have small poo. We'll see if it's an issue when all my fish reach their adult sizes.
I see more poo from the snails on leaves than I see fish poo. I vacuum and stir the sand with each weekly water change.
Sand doesn't seem a big-deal to clean to me. I think the difference is mess may show up more in a sand tank- but it's easier to clean... I used to have gravel as a kid and poo and dirt would get stuck down in the gravel.
Honestly, I'd rather see and be able to access my poo than hide it under gravel.
Live food for the fish too! Of course- they would look worse than the poo and are harder to vacuum up.
I have sand in my 55g I really don't have a poo problem... my sand doesn't look dirty- but I have small fish, there is only one over 2½ inches at the mo- they all have small poo. We'll see if it's an issue when all my fish reach their adult sizes.
I see more poo from the snails on leaves than I see fish poo. I vacuum and stir the sand with each weekly water change.
Sand doesn't seem a big-deal to clean to me. I think the difference is mess may show up more in a sand tank- but it's easier to clean... I used to have gravel as a kid and poo and dirt would get stuck down in the gravel.
Honestly, I'd rather see and be able to access my poo than hide it under gravel.