Sand Or Pea Gravel

[idlefingers]

I'm going to be setting up my 200ltr for my central american cichlids and cant decide whether to use sand or pea gravel..

I want to use pea gravel because I assume it would not show up all the poop as bad as sand does and because I also assume it'd be easier to clean when doing gravel vacs (by not being as easy to suck up).

I want to use sand because it looks nicer in my opinion.

So if my assumptions are correct, it's probably better to use gravel... but are they correct???

I don't know what to do!!

 

[Miss Wiggle]

which cichlids are you after? some like to suck up sand and spit it out they're gills to clean them out so depending on the fish sand may be better

 

[chishnfips]

I would chose sand as in my opinion it looks way nicer.

I would say its easier to clean than gravel because of the way poop sits on top, it makes it easier to suck up when doing a gravel vac. If you use gravel the poop will sink into it and you cant see it as clearly.

Either would probably be ok but as miss wiggle said some cichlids suck up the substrate so a finer substrate would probably be better.

its up to you though, whichever you prefer, have a look online once you have decided what cichlids you are after to see what their natural conditions would be like. I would expect that central american cichlids would be sand.

 

[idlefingers]

So far I have a convict and a salvini in another tank waiting to be moved over. There will also be a bristlenose.

I guess, based on miss wiggle said, it might be better to go for sand so I have more options for any other fish to get, if I do get any others.

 

[chishnfips]

the salvin's would need a sand substrate, I dont know much about them but ithink they are quite agressive so you would need similar fish housed with them. Put a post in the new world cichlids forum.

 

[idlefingers]

sand it is then. cheers.

Yeah, Salvinis are quite aggressive, but so are convicts, so I thought they'd be fine together?

 

[TammyLiz]

I see you've already decided to use sand but I have another reason to add that would make you want to go with sand for Central Americans:

Pea gravel often raises pH.