tanganyika substrate?

[unagi]

i have medium sized rocks in my aquarium, waiting for it to finish cycling (fishless) before i place any fish in it. unfortunately, half way through cycling i realized that if i wanted tanganyika shell dwellers, sand or really fine gravel would be the best bet. is it possible to safely house the shell dwellers (and they'll be relatively happy) with medium sized rocks? i haven't decided exactly what i want to add yet (other thread, if you want to help with my decision), but since it's only 20gallons figured the shell dwellers might be nice. but, i don't really want to have to recycle the tank and remove everything in there right now to redecorate (especially since this is my first tank and i'm somewhat eager to get some fish in there.. hopefully the nitrobacter will finish off the nitrites soon and i can get some fish in there before long) with sand. any info would be appreciated.

thanks

 

[wuvmybetta]

well since your not finished cycling yet and there's no fish in there....now would be the time to get it just the way you want it, even if it prolongs you having some fish to watch
I don't know how shell dwellers treat substrate, but my frontosas dig & dig & dig , one has completely cleared the gravel out from behind the rock wall along the back of the tank
I use a gravel that you can find at most hardware stores, it's actually pool filter media or sand blasting sand....fine but not too fine & sandy, if you can get ahold of some of that I'm sure you'd be happy with it
word of caution....it takes forever & a day to clean,but it's worth it
Good luck!

 

[unagi]

thanks for the reply, i'll consider it.. - i have a feeling though that i'll be to anxious to get some fish in there and will probably just go with something that works better with the medium sized gravel/rocks in there right now

 

[mostanks]

i use tahitian moon sand and also cruched coral sand guarantee you'll love either one

 

[unagi]

do you think if i only changed the substrate from gravel to sand, and left the rocks/plastic plants in.. would that drastically reduce the new cycling period?

 

[Mogo]

IMO the best way to do this...Take out a bit of gravel starting at one side of the tank, and insert some kind of plastic barrier, I find tupperware lids work really well for this kind of stuff, and besides they're safe! Stick this in, and after rinsing the sand really really well, put some of your sand in this empty section. Do a couple inches every other day or so, working your way across the tank. This will give the good bacteria some time to colonize your sand, and won't increase the cycling time drastically. After you're done, give the tank a few extra days than you would have waited initially before you start to add fish. As I said, it won't drastically increase, but will put a small dent in the cycling process.

Before adding any fish make sure all the water parameters are good and stable and have remained so for a few days or at least a week. Also make sure the water parameters will meet the needs of the fish you wish to house. HTH

 

[unagi]

thanks for the advice, i'll consider doing that when i get back down south, depending which species i end up going with

 

[cichlidpersonality]

if your getting shellies (which you should) you should really have a fine gravel/sand substrate, if you dont you will often end up with deformed jaws, they are so stubborn they will try and try to move something too large, and end up with a crooked jaw. i suggest a corner with shells, and some speciosus or gold occies. then a few brichardi, or julis for the rocks, it would be a nice calming setup.

and you will find that ALL african cichlids like to dig at least occasionally, and will definitely be happier with sand or fine gravel.

if you are gonna get julis then get black beauty its a shiny black fine gravel about 1-2 mm per grain, julis need dark substrate, if you have light it will completely bleach out their colors and they will be very disappointing.