akamel

moving my cichlids over to 75 g tank and thought about changing substrate. Right now I have rounded pebbles. Which is better- crushed coral or sand ? I will also be putting some clown loaches in as well. Which is cheaper and how much cheaper ? How many pounds would I need ?

Diggly

I have just done a quick bit of research and I would stick with sand.

Apparantly crushed coral harbours uneaten food etc as it is difficult for fish to get in amongst the coral to get it out.

Edit: See if this helps http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums...ad.php?t=84113

lorabell

I have sand in 5 of my tanks and love it!!!!! my best yet was using pool filter sand,it was definitly the cheapest...from $6-$9 a 50lb bag!!!!!The biggest difference was it just took a little bit more rinsing...

Shawnie

crushed coral keeps the pH much more stable for africans..unless you have another plan to do that? ...id also be careful about clowns in with africans as they do not play nice in any playground and are fish that are species only...maybe others have had luck with them in an african tank , but IMO , they cant hold their own to the meanness

PetiteTank

I currently use gravel on all my tanks and I'd like to switch over the sand. I'd much rather avoid digging out the gravel if I can. Should I just leave it in there and put sand over it? I also have a clown loch who spends half it's day buried in the gravel. I am not entirely sure how this change will affect him if I go with this since he has his spot.

griffin

that would probably work not too well. over time, the smaller sand pieces would go to the bottom, and the larger gravel pieces would be on top. however, you could then scoop out the gravel pieces, leaving the sand behind. imo, sand is much easier to maintain