Ideal Substrate For Mbuna? Help Please

[KingKenny]

My tank is currently fishlessly cycling. It will be a Mbuna Cichlid Aquarium and is 6.5ft long, holding something in the region of 150-160 gallons of water.

The tank has been cycling and currently had a play sand substrate. I'm not a huge fan of this but the tank came with it and I was too eager to crack on and complete a fishless cycle. I am now hoping to change this and go for something that will both raise the PH and give me conditions more suited to Mbuna Cichlids.

PH of local tap water is 7.8, and is moderate to hard. I will be 'decorating' the tank with Tufa Rock. I have a few questions.

1) Will changing my substrate upon the completion of a fishless cycle cause me to go into a mini cycle. I don't really know how much nitrifying bacteria will be within the play sand.

2) Can someone advise as to what substrate with the properties I mentioned looks good with Tufa Rock. I don't know if I'll like light coloured substrate with light coloured rocks, but I suppose the Tufa will colour through Algae etc.

3) Is there an ideal substrate for Mbunas?

4) How many centimetres of substrate should I have in a Mbuna tank, considering I will be buying egg crate to stack the rocks on to.

 

[mamafish68]

many many africans are Micropreditors and sift the sand for food, it's in their nature, also when digging like they do sand falls back to normal easier then gravel does.

the 7.8 is a fine Ph, IMHO dont mess with it.

why are you doing a fishless cycle though?

even biospira would have been easier

 

[KingKenny]

many many africans are Micropreditors and sift the sand for food, it's in their nature, also when digging like they do sand falls back to normal easier then gravel does.

the 7.8 is a fine Ph, IMHO dont mess with it.

why are you doing a fishless cycle though?

even biospira would have been easier

What do you mean why am I doing a fishless cycle? It's a newly set up tank which was second hand. Therefore it needs to be cycled. What's biospira. If it's a product designed to help cycle a tank I don't trust it. All these false claims from other companies make me very sceptical.

 

[nelly3164]

hi kingkenny, i am pretty new to keeping mbunas but here is what i have got my ph is 8.1 yours is fine but you could always add some crushed coral or coral sand to filter to up it slightly, i use tuffa rock which is great and i use coral sand about 2 inches deep, with the rocks worked into the sand because these little so and so's can dig for fun!. my tuffa has started to get a very thin coating of algae which looks great and also is a great benefit to the fish's diet. hope this helps.

 

[KingKenny]

hi kingkenny, i am pretty new to keeping mbunas but here is what i have got my ph is 8.1 yours is fine but you could always add some crushed coral or coral sand to filter to up it slightly, i use tuffa rock which is great and i use coral sand about 2 inches deep, with the rocks worked into the sand because these little so and so's can dig for fun!. my tuffa has started to get a very thin coating of algae which looks great and also is a great benefit to the fish's diet. hope this helps.

Is it easy to hollow out holes into Tufa as the bits and pieces I've seen are not carved. Any suggestions as to what tool to use if so?

 

[aberdeen aquarist]

very easy, its quite a crumbly rock so you can even drill/saw through it!!

as for substrate i'd say keep the sand, i have dark sand in my tank and the fish love it.

 

[scoobyfish]

Hole saws are good for tufa

 

[freddyk]

Don't worry too much about substrate, the mbuna often like to dig, so sand or a small sized gravel is best for this, but in the end they'll do fine with whatever you give them. Crushed coral and Aragonite, tufa rock and limestone are all good for buffering the water, though your PH is already good. The main thing is to measure your KH, as this determines the buffering capacity of the water as well. You also have the option of using baking soda to raise the KH if yours is low, something I prefer so that I can choose my substrate and rocks based on what I like, regardless of whether it aids the water.

As far as how much, well that's up to you, but there's usually no need for more then an inch or so.

Sand makes for a lousy biological filter due to its density and most of your bacteria is in your filter. Go ahead and just change it. Naturally it's a good idea to verify everthing is still good before adding the fish though.