Sand Maintenance

[crazyclowntang]

So at the last CCA meet I bought some pool filter sand from SONNY, thanks
So I finally got it in the tank, and man does it look NICE!!! I must agree, I think I like it more than the colorquartz stuff. My fish seem happier and they grab it and spit it back out all the time, so its fun watching them do that. This is the first time I use sand as substrate in a FW tank. I don't have a 'cleanup crew' like a lot of SW keepers do, so I am wondering how will I clean the sand? Do I just vacuum the sand on the surface, or do I stick the vacuum in the sand and get all the crap out? I have heard that it needs to be stirred to let gases out? Any input will help. BTW how deep should the sand bed be? I did about 2-3 inches throughout the tank.

Christian

 

[UNCLERUCKUS]

I HOVER MY PYTHON OVER THE TOP WHEN IM CLEANING. THE OTHER TOOL I USE ARE CALLED CORY CATS. THEY DO A GREAT JOB AND DONT GET ANY BIGGER WHILE EATING 24/7

 

[crazyclowntang]

I HOVER MY PYTHON OVER THE TOP WHEN IM CLEANING. THE OTHER TOOL I USE ARE CALLED CORY CATS.

I don't think cories will do too well with african cichlids .

 

[UNCLERUCKUS]

I HAD THEM IN WITH MINE AND THEY DID FINE. WHEN I SWITCHED OVER I JUST KEPT THEM. THEY DID A GREAT JOB OF KEEPING IT CLEAN. THE 2-3" IS FINE JUST REMEMBER WHEN YOU ARE DOING WC'S AND CLEANING TO MIX UP THE SAND SOME. HELPS RELEASE ANY HARMFUL TRAPPED GASES IN THE SAND.

 

[iamzrad]

Yes, if you have a python vacuum just hover it around the sand, maybe go 1/2" deep to siphon it. And what I usually do is put the vacuum on 1/2 power (1/2 open on switch) and go about 2" in and stir the sand around.

 

[DiscusnAfricans]

I don't think cories will do too well with african cichlids .

Synodontis catfish are african and are a good alternative to cories. There are some dwarf varieties that don't get too big (multipunctatus, petricola). I have 1 big eupterus in my big tank and he cleans up any leftovers.

 

[Tony]

Synodontis catfish are african and are a good alternative to cories. There are some dwarf varieties that don't get too big (multipunctatus, petricola). I have 1 big eupterus in my big tank and he cleans up any leftovers.

I was just about to recommend a pleco when I read your post. But are they ok on sand or would sand irritate the pleco?

Do similarly-sized synos and plecos get along?

 

[DiscusnAfricans]

I was just about to recommend a pleco when I read your post. But are they ok on sand or would sand irritate the pleco?

Do similarly-sized synos and plecos get along?

I have bristlenose plecos in tanks with sand and they don't seem to mind. I've also got one in my big tank with a gravel bed and a huge syno cat. I've never seen them quarrel, but the tanks big enough they can have their own space. My syno doesn't bother anybody unless they try to take over his cave, but he's bigger than most of my haps, so he doesn't take crap from anybody.

Plecos are good cleanup for algae on the glass and rocks, but they don't clean the substrate as well. The synos stay on the bottom and will eat anything they can find.

 

[crazyclowntang]

I had a Synodontis cat fish which they killed. I am not sure which type it was.

@Iamzard, when you vacuum the sand, does some of it come up with the water, or does it stay down?

@DQ, I wish i could keep some cories with these killers. I just don't want to take innocent cories to their death.

@Discus, I want to keep the sand clean of detritus, the cichlids take care of the leftovers.

 

[UNCLERUCKUS]

LOL THOSE CORYS ARE NOT AS EASY TO KILL AS YOU THINK. HARDY LIL FELLAS IF YOU ASK ME. GOOD LUCK THOUGH WITH WHAT YOU TRY. ARE YOU GOING TO THE NOV MTG? IF NOT WHEN WILL YOU BE UP THIS WAY? YOUR FISH ARE READY.

 

[crazyclowntang]

ARE YOU GOING TO THE NOV MTG? IF NOT WHEN WILL YOU BE UP THIS WAY? YOUR FISH ARE READY.

Yeah I am gonna be there. I was there last meet.

 

[iamzrad]

@Iamzard, when you vacuum the sand, does some of it come up with the water, or does it stay down?

My substrate is pool filter sand, so it stays fairly down but particles do float up. I usually don't worry about it. It's nothing drastic, just minimal.

 

[F8LBITE]

Chris, when you hover over the sand you will have some get sucked up but PFS is cheap enough that it wouldnt be a big deal to top it off eventually. Also positioning powerheads so that they keep poop suspended long enough for the filters to pick it up keeps the sand clean. Every other WC I stir the sand up with this big long algea scraper I have to keep the gas build up in check but I think ive let it go for over 6 months w/o anything happening.

 

[George]

Some people have kept Corys with Africans but I would not recommend it. They might live but I assure you they will not be happy. Why not get cats from the same environment your cichlids like? I think Synos are cool. Why make the SA fish suffer through Dark Side environments? You could try it though. Lots of folks have.

I guess in some ways water is water, just not in my house.

George

 

[danger_chicken]

I use power filters and canister returns plumbed to the bottom of the tank to keep the debris in the water column until the fiters grab it. Picus cats are also great as clean up crews, what ever they don't eat they stir up for the filters to grab. My fish move the sand so much I don't have to turn it over. I also keep MTS in most of my tanks to help with the sand aeration. Keeping the sand around 1" will also help control any gas build up. 90% of my tanks never get vaccummed and they is no debris laying on the sand. The only vacing I do is on tanks with a dead spot that lets the debris settle and collect which makes for an easy cleaning.

 

[mscichlid]

Like danger said, sand..3" will have to be siphoned deeply. Do a quarter of the tank at each water change. People like the look of sand but you don't have to have it so deep. Although, if you have pit spawners it could be interesting.

 

[fischfan13]

I take my Python and pinch the hose a bit to make sure that the sand does not get sucked up into it.

 

[crazyclowntang]

Thanks everyone for the great ideas and info.

George, I tried keeping syno cat but he got murdered! So i kinda got away from keeping another one in the malawi tank.

Danger, I think I will do the same thing and put some canister returns on a powerhead to help keep the sand clean.

On more thing, how often does everyone feed their fish? I see that there is poo flying all over the place all the time. Should I cut down the feedings to once every other day, so that there isn't too much poo going around? I usually feed twice a day, once before I leave for work @ about 6:00am and then @ 5pm

 

[Jumbie]

I feed my small fish and fry 2-3 times daily, and my adult fish get fed once daily or sometimes every other day or every 2 days. Most healthy fish could go 1 week without eating, but on the other had most herbivores need to eat frequently because they do not have large stomachs to hold a lot of food. There is nothing wrong with feeding your fish twice daily as long as you control quantity and keep up with your water changes you would be fine. If I remember the rule of thumb is to feed no more than the fish could consume completely in less than 3-5mins or something like that lol.

 

[Cakes]

Thanks everyone for the great ideas and info.

George, I tried keeping syno cat but he got murdered! So i kinda got away from keeping another one in the malawi tank.

Danger, I think I will do the same thing and put some canister returns on a powerhead to help keep the sand clean.

On more thing, how often does everyone feed their fish? I see that there is poo flying all over the place all the time. Should I cut down the feedings to once every other day, so that there isn't too much poo going around? I usually feed twice a day, once before I leave for work @ about 6:00am and then @ 5pm

Depending on your returns you can generally configure them in a manner to blow toward your intakes.

IMHO feedings depend on your fish. The younger the fish the more I would feed.