changing to sand - lesser of two evils

[skiltrip]

this isn't a post about HOW to change over to sand, i know that's been covered very thoroughly on this forum

it's a question of which is worse...


I currently have gravel in my tank, but not the ordinary typical gravel. it's actually the little stones, bigger than regular gravel, you probably have seen it, some white, some a little pinkish, natural colored, etc. ( i actually have a picture of my tank with that gravel when i first put it together, note the barbs are no longer in this tank... http/www.jkipcount.com/aquarium/6-30-03_01.jpg )

I have 3 cichlids in my tank now, and am interested in keeping them as happy as can be.

from everything i read, cichlids really enjoy sand, they enjoy digging, and moving sand around. i want to give them this, but is it worth moving them around in the process in order to change over to sand?

i mean, is the stress on them from the move going to be worth the "joy" they will get later on once they have sand in their tank instead of the larger rocks with they can barely move?

i want to give them the best quality of life, but i don't want to make it worse in the process. i'm also worried about unforseen problems after changing to sand. losing bacteria that are in the tank and stuff like that. or anything else that could/does happen as a result of using sand.

any advice, encouragement, or words of wisdom will be greatly appreicated. thank you.

 

[Ferris]

I think it could be worth it and might do some good. Its not a bad idea to change everything once in a while with an Mbuna tank anyway, it stops them becoming overly terrirtorial. I have medium sized gravel in my tank and the Mbuna move that around easily so you do have options, sand or smaller gravel.

 

[freddyk]

Sure it's worth it. As long as you have a decent power filter on the tank you'll still have a healthy bacterial colony in the tank - just don't clean the filter for a while before and after doing the switch.

It's really not that stressful for the fish, especially since mbuna seem nearly unphased by human disruption. Just throw them in a container of tank water while you work.

Sand is not only good for the fish to dig up and move around, but the cleanliness factor between sand and all but the smallest gravel is incomparable, as is, IMO, the natural look.